If Your Heart Wears Thin
by Zeraphie
Summary: Praetor. A Sister. Comrades. A Beautiful Girlfriend. A Best Friend, and a Loyal Lover. Everything culminated for a legendary hero in the making. Everything ever wanted, everything ever needed. None of it ever makes him happy. But at the end of the war, Jason KNOWS what the only thing in the world he actually needs is: to prove to Nico di Angelo that he has a home.
1. Act I: The Journey

**Title: **If Your Heart Wears Thin

**Rating: **T+

**Pairing: **Jason Grace x Nico di Angelo; side!Percy Jackson x Leo Valdez; side!Reyna x Annabeth Chase

**Genre: **Romance, Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

**Notes: **Spoilers to _House of Hades! _Tried to keep them to a minimum.

**Summary: **Praetor. A Sister. Comrades. A Beautiful Girlfriend. A Best Friend, and a Loyal Lover. Everything culminated for a legendary hero in the making. Everything ever wanted, everything ever needed. None of it ever makes him happy. But at the end of the war, Jason _knows _what the only thing in the world he actually _needs _is: to prove to Nico di Angelo that he has a home.

-x-

**Act I: **A Journey

-x-

Sunlight streamed through the open window, joined by a chill breeze that iced the hairs on the back of Jason's neck. Curls of dark hair brushed against his cheek, tickling him awake for the last morning at Camp Halfblood. Warmth stirred in his chest for a brief time, spreading to his toes as the body adjacent to his own moved like a hyperactive puppy. Pressing his lips to an eyebrow, Jason rejoiced in the snicker at his ears.

Each laugh fluttered, like wind chimes, singing into the wind for all to hear, and then disappeared.

It wasn't like Leo to fall silent, but the feeling of numbness Jason had grown accustomed to in his chest made Leo's reaction all more valid. The cadence of his heart slowed, with a nagging in his chest that never disappeared. _'I told you_,' the miser whispered in his ear, sounding a lot like his own voice. '_Why do you even try?' _

Jason hastily told it to shut up as Leo unfurled from their bind, rolling to the nonexistent other end of his tiny twin cot.

Leo breathed in harshly after their dissipated laughter, his demeanor wistful. "You're still gonna go, aren't you?"

To California, to the Romans—away from Camp Halfblood. Away from Leo, and away from this, no matter how _right_ being in the Zeus's Cabin felt right now.

Pushing off the cot, Jason's eyes wandered around the cold marble floor in search for his discarded shirt. The Greek version of his father's statue burned harsh holes into his soul, ridiculously gaudy and domineering as it always was, and last night's events were highlighted in Jason's head. He was thankful that after a few hickeys that the _wantwantwant_ and the _touchtouchtouch_ had not gone too far—otherwise, this decision would be harder than it already was; weighing judgment in Jason's chest to discuss the _good_ and _bad_ and what Jason _wanted_ versus what he really _desired. _

He imagined even his promiscuous father, up in the Heavens of Mount Olympus, was redressing himself after a hardy night of a nameless nymph—or satyr or _rock_ at this point—and wrapping himself in the next whim that seduced him—like flicking ants off his shoulder.

The thought made Jason sick to his stomach.

"—son?" Leo's voice flattened his thoughts, smoldering like the flames in a tiny hearth. He sounded nervous—a little annoyed, and scared. It only hurt more, because Jason was the only one that ever heard that fear with Leo's permission. Now it was being directed at him. "Jay."

Turning around, Leo's face glowed with the morning sunlight. A scar adorned his cheek, with eyes that had aged under the cruelty of warfare. He had trimmed his hair after months of having it in his eyes and blocking his vision, looking older than Jason wanted him to. Leo's jaw had narrowed, aged and near malnourished; less like the Latino Santa's elf that Jason met a year ago and more like a heartbroken warrior.

"You're my comrade," Jason said finally. They weren't the words either of them wanted to hear. They were friends. Teammates. Partners. Leo was among the few people that Jason was _attracted_ to and who Jason would open himself to—ever. There was still a grey area there that usually left Jason unsatisfied and spiteful. _Comrade_ did not mean _lover_, nor did it have any close connotation to the word. Jason rubbed his aching neck, falling into awkwardness.

In a flicker Leo's face fell, but he covered it up with an impish smirk. "Hey. One night, right?"

"Yeah," the blonde breathed. He was visibly aware of the line of red blotches on Leo's shoulder blade and neck.

"Guh." Leo's entire body animated like a robot with caffeine high and he smoothed his curls back. He hesitated—then reached over to kiss Jason platonically on the cheek, never making eye contact. "Thanks. For the…awesomely weird make out session. Sparks flew. You know—literally."

"Happens," Jason muttered. He blinked, watching Leo stand up, limb-by-limb. "We're okay?"

"Yeah." Leo assessed himself, looking for his own shirt, along with his tool belt and his socks. He made several unreadable gestures with his hands, twitching and wringing his fingers before shrugging. "We're okay." They sounded like words directed at himself, more than between them. "Well—whatever. Since you don't want this big grand salute or whatever, I'm going back to Bunker 9. Getting better sleep. I'll build myself a waterbed. Even better—a waterbed with singing fish. The naiads will be jealous and all, '_Oh, Hotstuff Leo, I want to be in your bed_' and I'll tell them they can't. Your cot sucks."

"Reckon you could install a nice bed for me while I'm gone?" Jason mused quietly. His voice barely rose above a whisper. Leo's limbs tensed, his back turned completely away from the Son of Jupiter.

"Yeah," Leo muttered under his breath. "I could probably do that." His voice smoldered like a forgotten fire. Heat radiated off of Leo as he rolled up his pants legs and he slid his shoes on. He approached the tall door at the other end of the Cabin and jerked his head partially to the side, acknowledging Jason for the last time. "Bye, Jay."

"See you next time." Jason bowed his head.

Leo lowered his head slightly, with a tense nod. He opened the door, and Jason closed his eyes in defeat as it _SLAMMED_.

-x-

In truth, Jason had no duty that forced him to leave. He relinquished his role as praetor to Frank during the war, with a vocal consensus given by Reyna. The camps long signed a treaty between them, stating that the conflict between Romans and Greeks was annulled, and should ever a time come where war threatened either side, the other would come to aide as Allies.

The rest of Jason's short summer was spent between both camps, aiding in the reconstruction of cabins and landmarks and putting up monuments under the names of the fallen. With school approaching for many of the Greek demigods, each camp would be spending the next few months until winter break rebuilding what had been lost thanks to Gaea's treachery.

No shackles chained the Son of Jupiter to one coast or the other. He worked diligently with the new installations in New Rome and Camp Halfblood for the sake of his comrades. But after that?

A long week in Camp Jupiter that was concluded with a trip back to Camp Halfblood (a trip home—to a place where he could let out the nervous breath he'd been holding for seven long days) and then he was the boy too Roman to be Greek. (The irony, since it was the other way around every time he visited Reyna and Frank.)

When he was still dating Piper (a churn in his stomach; just another person he disappointed), the thought of staying at Camp Halfblood was a pleasant one. Growing up in Camp Jupiter felt like a far-off dream that remained in the back of Jason's mind the moment he woke up. Here, at Camp Halfblood, he had his two best friends, the comrades he played Capture the Flag with, and the better chance of meeting his father.

(He remembered the hard image of his father, dressed in Roman garb with thunderous blue eyes that addressed everyone, even his own son and daughter, as a king to mere peasants, and the tiny flicker, like lightning, in his eyes that acknowledged Thalia and Jason. It was so faint and unnoticeable, but made Jason think they were the eyes that fell for his deceased mother.)

Now, he could have that. Jason got everything that was expected of a typical hero: the girl, the animal companion, the comrades, the best friend, and the title. He even got a _sister_, after thirteen years of feeling like an orphan; lost in the world without a mother and praying to a father that never showed his face. But he was never satisfied.

Jason had never been content among the ranks as praetor to the Twelfth Legion, and having an amazing girlfriend was subpar. They expected him to rejoice in his achievements, but the nagging miser in his mind knew he was only doing what was _expected_ of him. He settled, to soothe the nerves of everyone else around him.

Now, two months short of a year since his arrival at Camp Halfblood, Jason scared himself more. He had what he wanted and still didn't feel _full. _Piper broke up with him when she understood that the words '_I love you,'_ wouldn't leave Jason's mouth. She revealed plans to live in Malibu, homeschooling with a personal tutor to be closer to her father. Leo had been his rock, listening to his distraught at three in the morning, and to whom was the only person Jason would reveal his fears.

'_It's not that I don't know what I want_,' he said, his head in his hands. '_It's that I don't know how long that I'll want it.' _

Leo eased his nerves, if only for a bit. He couldn't care less about 'the Big Three' or the son of the King of the Heavens, ("Technically a prince," Leo had mused. "All you need is your Cinderella.") and maybe Jason wanted that—even for a short time. For a whim. Like flicking an ant off his shoulder.

Obviously that wasn't fair to anyone—especially not for Leo's aching heart. Unfortunately, staying at Camp Halfblood just wasn't enough.

There was a knock on the door around the time Jason was finally done packing. He didn't have much—orange and purple camp shirts and some souvenirs from the long weeks on the Argo II. Jason's gladius was strapped to his belt, attached to him like a limb.

Percy's head peeked through, with a wry smile rising on the left side of his face. "Hey."

They greeted each other with a fist bump, and Jason smiled back weakly, pulling his backpack over his shoulder. "Happy Birthday, man."

"Thanks." Percy's lips remained cautiously pursed together, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts. He'd lost a lot of weight during his time in Tartarus, along with muscle mass, but the humor in the corner of his grin still remained. It was an understatement that the war had changed all of them; corrupting the seven of them and suffocating them with their fears, until even the bravest person cracked.

But over everyone, Percy remained unscathed after war.

He still cracked jokes at the least appropriate time and felt the need to steal the last line. Albeit his humor dripped with crueler sarcasm, but no one contemplated heavy thoughts over it. Percy was the one who demanded the treaty without forethought. Out of the seven of them, _he_ made it clear that reconstruction would be sought.

Envy churned in Jason's stomach as Percy surveyed the empty space. Percy planned on finishing Goode High School and returning back to his mother and stepfather to be a family. As simple as the idea was—even with all of the unwelcomed interruptions in his life—Percy still managed to go with the flow and keep his head up. He was lucky and got what he wanted. Even worse—because what Percy wanted, he was able to keep.

_Well, most things. _

"Sorry about you and Annabeth, by the way. Guess…that's not really the way you'd want to leave camp," Jason said. He could almost see the pull in the Son of Poseidon's gut, and further down in Camp Halfblood, the Canoe Lake must have shaken.

Any other person bringing it up may have ended with the said person's face in the toilet. The past few weeks had been spent with endless mourning and busy bodies restoring both camps. But, in the few months that they knew each other, Percy and he had become bros. Big talk and big actions didn't get you anywhere, when both of you radiated with power.

_Some are less bothered by it than others_, chimed the voice in Jason's head.

Instead, Percy shrugged with his shoulders up to his ears. The breakup had happened maybe four days ago—and no one knew why. Annabeth revealed shortly after that she planned on going to school near her family and getting into college on the west coast. Percy turned to look Jason fully in the eyes. A message was hidden in his orbs, so blatant in the reasoning that it made Jason sad for him.

(Looking at Percy made Jason think of someone else—and it only supplied more things to be disappointed about.)

"What'd you do after Piper?" Percy asked, his voice nonchalant.

_I made out with my best friend. _"I had Leo." The three words left a discomforting taste in Jason's mouth—but Percy was none the wiser.

Instead, Percy's lips contorted into another of his smiles—full of something that wasn't synonymous to happiness. He ran a hand through dark hair, his wavy locks mussed by lake water. "Yeah. I talked to Grover, but he's known both of us since we were kids. Annabeth even longer, you know? And…"

"And?" Jason pressed.

"And it's nothing that I couldn't have come up with myself," Percy concluded cryptically. His tone was quiet, dripping with bitterness. Yet somehow, he was able to shrug. He debated something in his head, sea green eyes misted over by the statue of Zeus, before changing the subject altogether. "So you're doing this, man. Going to LA. Just what do you expect to find there?"

Hopefully Nico.

Holding his tongue for one more thought, Jason shrugged. "Let's just say the winds are calling my name. And…they're asking me to follow a breeze."

They slapped hands, standing beside each other as retired comrades. The SPQR tattoo shined against Percy's flesh, freshly made as a sign of his loyalty to the legionnaires and the Fifth Cohort. Even Jason's still felt new, after twelve years of being branded to his skin. His heart dropped—knowing that once he stepped foot out of camp, he was leaving both homes for the time being.

"Call me if you run into any trouble," Percy said. His eyes shone with honesty, and a smile curled against his lips.

Jason nodded. "You too."

"Please. _Me?" _A chuckle rose from the back of Percy's joke, brooding and unsettling in its exaggerated mockery. Percy had changed the least since the war, but Jason was beginning to realize that his dry wit was how Percy dealt with it.

Their grip was firm, and they studied each other like the first day at Camp Jupiter. Percy's smirk held more than a smartass remark, and his eyes bore a threat: Don't fuck with my friends, or I'll fuck with you. His hair was wavy and mussed from long days marinating by the lake, but no doubt it would be cut soon. Percy complained too much about becoming the Little Mermaid.

And at last between them, they realized they were losing a really good friend for the rest of the school year. Their comrade. Family.

"Best wishes," Percy muttered. "Don't know what you're looking for, but good luck."

"Thanks." Jason nodded. As an afterthought, his eyebrows furrowed and his grip tightened around Percy's fingers. "Take care of Leo for me, okay?"

-x-

The flight to Los Angeles hadn't been a long one. Argus the Security Guy volunteered to drive him to the airport after he said woeful goodbyes to his other friends—the Stoll Brothers, Jake from the Hephaestus Cabin, Clovis—and strangely enough Drew Tanaka, who forced a wet kiss on him before Jason could blink. Leo wasn't there. When he asked the other Hephaestus Kids, they simply shrugged and assumed their brother was in Bunker 9. Percy scratched his head, wondering if they'd gotten into a fight, but the entire situation was too complicated to explain.

Instead, Jason emphasized—take care of Leo, for both their sakes—and hopped onto the one-way plane that would take him to Cali. He'd flashed official SPQR documents, along with the legal form of his former praetorship (a tradition for all past praetors who've retired. The perks of praetorship usually remained, just without the power) to a descendant of Mercury, and had the entire aisle to himself.

Rolling up each document and putting them away, Jason felt a tug of betrayal at his chest. Two weeks ago when Jason revealed his plans to Leo, he could only describe it as a _journey to self-discovery. _Somehow stripping himself of Greek _and_ Roman ties was the only way to do it. Here he was, reaping the advantages of a rank he could no longer call himself. His heritage—and what the last ten months revealed to him—had nothing to do with his current conflict.

Finding Nico di Angelo, however, was the first thing he'd _wanted_ to do for a very long time. After the war, di Angelo had slipped away with no one to nurse his bruises or to help him cope with…everything. _The only one who ever cared for me_, Nico's words rang in Jason's mind from night-to-night, _was my sister, Bianca. To everyone else I might as well be covered in blood or sewage. _

One of the things Jason absolutely hated in the world was leaving behind a fallen comrade. In this case, Nico was still running away from everything. And to Jason, matters including his team mates were _never_ just a simple _whim. _

He figured Los Angeles was a good of a place to start, if he was searching for a Son of Hades. Getting an apartment near the DOA Recording Studio was eerily too easy. Growing up in New Rome, Jason heard plenty stories of demigods who went to live in southern California—some were eaten, some lost limbs. Others, New Rome only knew that they _left. _Nothing else.

(Instinct—and Reyna, on several occasions—told him it was wiser to sleep with a knife under his pillow.)

Another flash of SPQR documents, and his new landlord was under the impression that Jason was living with his "estranged uncle." Drachma and American currency that he'd made during his years in the Legion would be used for rent on a month-by-month lease and groceries. Who knew—in the next two weeks, Jason could end up as bait for an angry Cyclops in a muumuu.

(But at this point, Jason was sure he could slay anything.)

The furniture was quaint—all Jason really needed was a bed. He decided to keep the electronics bare minimum—so, no TV, no laptop. Not even an alarm clock. There was a little corner store up the street from his house, in case he needed to stock up on EasyMacs and frozen dinners.

He did a run through of his supply of ambrosia squares—which wouldn't last long. If Jason managed to survive, he would have to make routine trips up to San Francisco to restock on secret magical goodies. Somehow a five and a half hour bus ride was a lot more intimidating than being on a plane for eight hours.

Finally after unpacking his sparse amount of belongings, Jason surveyed his apartment, surrendered to jetlag, and went to bed. In the morning he would find a steady job and ask around if anyone had seen the Ghost King.

A month would pass before Jason finally found Nico di Angelo.

-x-

Surviving Los Angeles proved to be a more interesting task than Jason anticipated. He learned the streets and the creatures that roamed around, doused in the Mist to blend in with ignorant city-goers. Instead of one job, he had four, like a list of quests on a forum. Once he was done, he procured the benefits of his rewards.

Neutral monsters like naiads and cloud nymphs found their way into his apartment (either through the window or through his plumbing system) and offered large sums of drachma or information to get rid of 'pests.' Exterminating the local venti or empousai was nothing like going on an actual quest—but the way Jason saw it, the less dangerous the mission, the less people got hurt. Some of the nymphs were so grateful that they offered themselves up—to which, Jason modestly (and blushingly) declined.

When he could, Jason asked nearby residents if they saw the Son of Hades. He tracked loose ends here and there—however, nothing connected. The days that he passed by DOA Recording Studios sent a chill down his spine. He could feel the physical pull of his soul extracting from his body—and Death whispering his name like a sweet comfort.

_Death is the easy way out_.

Jason shook the thought as he always did one day and went home to sleep off the current day's events.

At about three in the morning, he found Nico eating an apple in his living room.

"Hello."

"Holy Heph—fuck." Jason's hands instinctively flew to his hip, where his gladius was normally found—before remembering that he went to bed into just his boxers. He'd wandered to the bathroom for a late night leak, grumbling obscenities under his breath when he tripped over a pair of dirty boxers.

Nico di Angelo sat on the floor with his legs crossed and left arm stuffed in a pocket of his Aviator's jacket. The apple in his hand was flushed bright red, contrasting with pale ghostly skin like fresh blood. His eyes were tired—but surprisingly more well-rested than what Jason expected. A smile curled at the corner of Nico's lips, resembling a pleased smirk. It was the kind of smirk that any fourteen-year-old kid held when they got to scare the pants off of someone. In this case—literally.

A sheen of moonlight caught Nico's haphazard bush of dark hair from the window—and he turned, studying the orb in the night sky. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"I wouldn't remember." Jason's heartbeat hammered a mile a minute. His gaze narrowed to the teen sitting adjacent to his window, and he took a step forward over creaking wooden floors. One false move, he thought, and Nico may disappear. "Hi."

"I hear you were asking for me?" Nico's gaze reached the corner of his eyes, dark. They echoed in Hades' wrath—with a stroke of genius and the spark of a madman—and scrutinized Jason, like they were peeling away at the layers to his soul.

Jason mussed his sleep-ridden hair, knowing it fluffed with static electricity in his sleep. Piper used to get shocked every morning on the Argo II when she came into his room. And Leo—well, being used to sparkplugs and wires, he once compared high-fiving a sleepy Jason to sticking a fork into a power outlet.

Wiping the grogginess from his eyes, he plopped comfortably on the floor across from the other demigod. He made visible note that Nico scooted closer to the wall. The last few days flashed before his eyes and he nodded. "Depends. Who'd you hear that from?"

"Hazel, while I was checking up on her."

A few days ago Jason had visited New Rome in order to restock on ambrosia squares and catch up with his friends. Hazel and Frank were there to greet him—along with a disgruntled Reyna and Annabeth, who both gave him looks when he asked for Nico's location. Obviously Jason's inquisition had made it back to Nico himself—which meant Jason's spending a month in Los Angeles was all for naught.

"I've known you were in the area since you moved in," Nico confessed, as though he was reading Jason's mind. His gaze narrowed, studying Jason like a piece of artwork. Instead of disposing of his finished apple, he observed it browning in his hands. "Figured you were here for a quest. Ghosts around here say that you've been asking about me. And here we are, a month later—and you're still alive."

His tone of voice was quiet, but piercing, like it knew exactly how to penetrate Jason's skin.

"I was looking for you." In return, Jason scratched his arm and made his way to the refrigerator to pull out more fruit. He threw a second apple at Nico.

The Son of Hades' face twisted with a flicker of disbelief in his gaze, before burrowing back to a stoic mask. It broke Jason's heart a little—flickers of Nico's face, full of wonder and admiration, flashed in his mind, remembering the little kid that showed up in the cave with Cupid. Percy ignorantly told Jason once that Nico had been an "expressive little nerd" when they first met. "You said something about not remembering your mother."

Yeah. Sinking his teeth into his apple, Jason shrugged and waltzed back to the little area that shined with light. Nico had taken refuge in a corner, playing with the apple core of his first apple and palming the other. "Roman halfbloods are put in the Wolf House to be trained by Lupa. She either deems you worthy enough to go to Camp Jupiter or you get eaten by the wolves. My mother offered me up when I was two."

Under the tufts of dark hair, Jason was sure one of Nico's eyebrows rose, almost like a, '_Really?' _in the most deadpanned way possible.

Studying his own apple, Jason scrutinized it like it held his memories. It'd been roughly eleven months since getting them back, and yet he still had trouble believing what his mind told him. Recalling a memory felt like watching a movie; one that didn't leave an impression and was easily forgotten between popcorn and making out in the back corner. "Even with my memories back it's not like I'd remember anything before that age, anyway. Everything I know about my mother is information that I got from my sister."

"The huntress," Nico murmured. His tone took a dip, despite his face. He'd worn a façade of impassiveness since showing up—clearly unsure of what to expect from this meeting. Jason was flattered that Nico even showed up.

But—this was getting them nowhere.

Rotating the apple in his hand, Jason could feel his heart palpating in his chest—cautious. He recalled the picture of Thalia that he kept in his back pocket, with her dark hair and electric blue eyes. The silver tiara fit perfectly as her headpiece, with the glow of moonlight that radiated off her as power. On the back of the picture were the words: _This is Thalia Grace. Your Sister. Never let yourself forget her._ He'd like to think that the next time he woke up without his memories, she would be the first person he could remember.

"Thalia told me the reason she became a Huntress is because she lost people close to her," Jason explained. He looked up, observing Nico's expression. "Annabeth says—" Nico glared. "—that your sister, Bianca, and her friend Zoe sacrificed themselves during the first war. She became one of Diana's—_Artemis's_ hunters, to honor them."

Jason knew at the mention of Annabeth's name that Nico heard none of the other stuff. A long Italian finger tapped the hard wood; with its owner probably debating on shadowtraveling away. Or summoning skeletons as they spoke to rip Jason to shreds. It made Jason think of Leo—who tapped _'I love you,' _out in Morse Code on his knee from time to time.

He remembered asking, once, repeating the summation of beats to his best friend. Leo had blushed a lovely shade of scarlet, with his hair steaming of fluster. It wasn't until later did Jason realize it wasn't the act of doing it that flustered Leo—but the fact Jason was doing it. His stomach clenched at the thought, and Jason ignored the fact that he hadn't talked to his best friend since Leo ran out of Zeus's Cabin.

Instead, he recalled his conversation earlier in the day with Percy over Iris Message, who had an odd tone when they spoke to each other. "They're broken up now, you know."

Nico made sound—something akin to a bitter chuckle. "So?"

Recalling thoughts of _why_ Annabeth and Reyna may have been disgruntled toward Jason made him skim over the entire ordeal. Instead, Jason weighed his options. "I know that you didn't want to go back to Camp Halfblood because of Anna—_her_," he corrected himself when Nico's eyes flashed with anger again. "But there was a reason they broke up."

The look in Percy's eyes was still hard, but he'd found some coping mechanism to help him. He could tell that much through the conversation, when Percy's sea green eyes suddenly didn't look as sad. Jason chickened out before he could ask if Percy'd heard from Leo at all.

"I know you're still worried, but—"

"If you're going to tell me that he's suddenly fallen head over heels for me then, you're the one I want to send to Hades, not him." Nico stood flat-footed, with his boots hitting the wood like shattering glass. His entire face morphed into a sneer, his gaze narrowing beneath his hair. A cold breeze struck Jason's spine. "None of this is your business. You are the _last _person who has any right to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, and you don't know _anything._"

Jason winced. Through Nico's hateful words, he'd clutched the Stygian Iron sword at his side. Jason refused to reach for anything.

"Understand something, Grace," Nico snapped, "I didn't tell you about that so you could work it out with me like a therapist. In fact, I didn't tell you at _all. _You were just _there_ when it happened, you got it? If I had it my way—oh, _Hades_, if I had it my way—you wouldn't know." He pulled a hand out and touched the shadows on the wall.

"Wait—" Jason grabbed Nico by the other arm before the teen could shadowtravel away. The Son of Hades shook with absolute rage, with his face marred by an unpleasant scowl that could have sent the other halfblood straight to hell. _Fuck_, was all he could think. In the long month that he waited to find di Angelo, this wasn't how he planned on it going.

Nico slapped Jason's hand away so harshly and quickly that it would have been an admirable move during Capture the Flag. He looked up with brooding eyes, waiting. Fuming.

"I know. I get it. And—the entire decision is yours. I don't dictate whether or not you…come out of the shadows. It's not my business, and I know you don't want me to know. But it _became_ my business because you're my comrade." Holding his breath, Jason prescreened the words in his head and—still, he knew they wouldn't come out the way he wanted. However, his stature remained firm, and he made sure Nico could see his eyes. "I told you once that you could trust me as your ally. I took the chalice from your hand because I trust you with my life. I wouldn't have come all the way to Los Angeles if I didn't think there was any hope of finding you. The war's over, but—I. I'm still here. For you."

Nothing.

The trembling in Nico's frame had either disappeared completely or reached a new level. He hunched over, his jaw tight and gaze burning holes into Jason's form. His hand clasped over his sword, scraping against the Stygian Iron with his various skull rings—and yet, Jason thought it stupid to resort to defense. He kept his fingers curled against his palms, suppressing the instinct to draw electricity.

And by some miracle, Nico's hand fell limp on the side of his sword. The look on his face had completely destroyed his facade. All that remained was an angry teenage boy to collect his bearings. And from the looks of it, he absolutely _hated_ that fact, with his pride wounded.

It was then Jason realized neither of them knew what to expect out of this talk—other than the obvious. Nico remained calm earlier for a reason—either to amuse Jason's determination or as a chance to actually listen. He was sure the Son of Hades tried for the former—but they were both out of luck.

"Keep flying, Grace," Nico said finally, his voice constricted. His hand touched the wall once more, disappearing into the shadows. "Otherwise you'll end up in the pits of hell with me."

And with that, he left.

-x-

_Tap, tap. I love you. _

The next few days were spent between Jason dreaming and mulling over a guilty conscious. He dreamt of a curly head resting at his shoulder with a throaty snicker that was both mischievous and insane. The scent of fire burned like incense, and he yearned for a happy ending between the two. Brown eyes, lighting up like the embers on the Fourth of July as they looked to blue. They held the same stroke of passion as they would with metal scraps thrown in front of them along with a big shot idea—one that sometimes backfired, but still held together, secured by someone who absolutely adored tinkering.

Jason knew those eyes. He'd seen them flicker with delight after fixing a rabid celestial bronze dragon, and at the same time saw them break into tears at the mention of a lost mother and a lost friend. He saw them emotionally invested in rebuilding an idea, so the loneliness would fade away, and the conflict between falling for Hazel and creating tension or letting it pass.

He saw the heartbreak of the lost boy who found love on an island and lost it at sea. They saw _him_, sitting on a hammock back at Bunker 9 where Jason revealed his own insecurities.

_I want. And when I get it, I can't want it long enough. _

And most gut-wrenchingly, Jason saw the eyes that looked back to him at the end of the summer, that were accompanied by a hollow, eerie snicker, and heard the scratchy voice in his ears.

_Hey. One night, right? _

He knew those eyes wanted more. And Jason _hated_ himself for not wanting more too.

-x-

"_Hello?" _

"Piper? Hey."

Jason wiped the sweat of his brow with the sleeve of his shirt and looked at the clear image of his ex-girlfriend through the Iris Message. She looked as beautiful as ever. Somewhere between the war, she'd let her hair grow out, unnoticed, until it looked like a hairdo that girls wore on high school soaps. Thin locks were still beaded, making Piper still look like _Piper. _Yet in a way, she looked more confident about her beauty. He told her just that.

"You look great," he said with a smile. He sheathed his gladius, and—

"Oh, _Jason_!" The water nymph he'd bee helping out—Cindy—suddenly flung her arms around him, automatically dousing Jason in the fire hydrant water he'd been working with for an _hour_ now. He groaned as the red metal exploded from the pressure, _again. _"Thank you, _THANK YOU, _for fixing my hydrant, you know I _hate_ it when those stupid Cyclopes throw it around like—like a _hot potato._"

"Cindy, you broke it again. I keep telling you, water's not my thing." Jason sighed in frustration, burning holes at the broken thing. Never in his life did he wish so badly for Percy to be here and fix it himself. At least Percy could, like, tell it to stop or something.

"What?" She turned from him, with her body moving like the Wicked Witch after she melted. "Oh, no worries! It means you can just spend more time _fixing_ it."

_Di immortales. _

He eyed the Iris Message, where Piper was patiently waiting for him to extract the naiad clinging to his shirt. Talk about awkward. "Cindy, I, uh. I _really _have to take this. Raincheck?"

She eyed him with a giddy look, like Jason had asked her to do the dirty deed, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Zeus Almighty, Los Angeles nymphs were scary. He'd woken up in the shower with her body flowing out of the drain. The next ten minutes were spent in screams and giggles that put Moaning Myrtle to shame.

"You know where to find me if you're feeling…_wet._" Her entire body glistened a clear color before she threw herself into the fire hydrant. The water ceased—and if that were the only problem, then Jason would have never agreed to take the '_quest_.'

"_That your new girlfriend?"_ Came Piper's voice from the forgotten Iris Message.

Cringing, Jason turned his head and touched his hair. "No. I—uh."

It wasn't like the teasing tone she offered when they were still dating. She'd taken advantage of that tone plenty of times when Reyna was involved just to make him squirm. Still miles away, her charmspeak did its charm, flustering him to no end.

But again, Piper looked wary, instead of amused. She'd worn that face plenty times since the war ended. _"You could have told me in Los Angeles."_

Jason swallowed hard. "Hazel told you?"

"_I can see the Hollywood sign behind your head." _

Ouch.

This was where Leo would dramatically _'ooooooh,' _in the background, and Jason would have to tell him to shut up. Instead, Jason touched his head, hoping something good would come to mind. "I didn't know if you and I were on speaking terms," he finally confessed.

Piper made a face.

"You left the day after we broke up," Jason pointed out. "That was…what? A month ago?"

"_Two months,"_ she corrected. If possible, she sounded even more hurt than before. Jason was the jerk that didn't care that they were no longer together. "_It's fine. I just—I wanted to check up on you—"_

"Do you want to talk about something?"

"_No. It's fine—"_

"Pipes." Jason's voice softened and he looked at the girl that he once called his girlfriend. One look from those kaleidoscope eyes used to make him forget his name. Now he saw them, feelings wounded and pride crushed the same way Nico's was about five days ago. "What's your address? I'll be there in an hour."

Her eyebrows rose, surprised, and she shook her head. _"No, Jason—"_

"What's your address?"

She hesitated, before finally telling him.

An hour later, after soaring through the winds and asking grumpy cloud nymphs for directions, Jason landed on the front yard of Tristan McLean's Malibu home. Someone chucked a rock at him.

"What the—" Jason dodged promptly, whipping a stream if wind to knock it off course. He looked back to the house—where another rock was thrown at his head, alongside a jar labeled _Cere-ous Baby Food. _"_Hey!_"

"Stand still so I can hit you in the head! Stop being a daisy, you stupid daisy! I'm going to _destroy_ you!"

"Coach Hedge! What did I say about throwing baby food at the mailman?" Piper appeared over the balcony, talking to the satyr that was apparently too short to see over the railing.

"You said DON'T WASTE THE BABY FOOD! So I'm throwing the empty containers at him!"

"_Coach_, it's Jason!"

"Who? Grace? That's not Grace, he's too human!"

"Jason _is_ human!" Piper threw her arms in the air. "You're going to stop. _Now_!"

"Sorry, McLean! This is for your own protection!" On cue, forty baby food jars rained down from the balcony like baseballs, targeting Jason at every angle.

The rebel in Jason thought about whipping out his gladius like a baseball bat and swinging. Percy probably would have loved that thought. Instead, Jason created a wind funnel with his hands and let the containers land neatly on the lawn. Grabbing at the masses, he could only smile at the pretty girl that came out from the front door to help him.

"Dammit, Grace! You're lucky that I ran out of baby food!" Coach Hedge's voice boomed from above.

"Coach!" Piper hissed. Her voice sent a rhythmic chant straight to Jason's ears. He shook off the daze that came with charmspeak, knowing that if he fell into it now, conversation with Piper would end with him feeling very confused. She sucked in a breath, her shoulders rising, and narrowed her gaze at the grumpy satyr on her balcony. "It's okay. You were going to go grocery shopping, remember?"

"I? What?" Coach pulled out a tin can and sunk his teeth into it like an apple. "You're right! I was going to go grocery shopping! For baseball bats!"

"No. The baby's running out of diapers."

"The baby's running out of diapers. And daggers!"

"No—diap—ugh. Right. And you need to go buy some more."

"I need to go buy some more," Coach repeated. His voice laced with charmspeak as he echoed Piper's words. "And go kill monsters."

"No! No killing monsters!"

"Kill all monsters!" A few minutes later, Coach Hedge disappeared from the balcony and galloped toward the pair on the front lawn. He burped up a metal tab and picked at his teeth. Behind Jason, Piper groaned. "McLean, I'm going grocery shopping. And to kill monsters! Tell the wife and baby that I'll be back in a few hours."

Piper covered her eyes, ashamed.

"And _you_—" Coach Hedge grabbed Jason by the shirt and yanked him down until they were nose-to-nose. "If I come back and you're not gone, there will be some serious decapitation. I'm _watching _you, punk."

"Uh. Yes sir." Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

With that, Coach Hedge left, leaving the ex-couple on the lawn to pick up old containers of baby food.

Jason turned to see Piper's back. She busied herself by collecting jars, no word to be said between them. _Great. _Mussing a hand through his hair, Jason collected what she didn't—and helped her, when two fell out of her grasp.

"Thanks," she said finally after five minutes of silence. She started the path toward her house, and Jason had no choice but to follow. "So you wanted to talk to me?"

Uh…

"Well?"

"You were the one that Iris Messaged me, remember?" Jason searched for the recyclable can labeled _glass_ and set the containers in them behind Piper.

She looked over to him, her gaze suddenly hesitant. He knew her well enough that this was her embarrassed face—especially with the hue of shy pink in her cheeks. "You didn't have to come all the way over here."

"The least I could do for not telling you that I was in the area." Looking around again, Jason opted to sit on a faux-leather, sleek vegetarian friendly million-dollar couch. His heart was beating so loudly in his chest that Jason wouldn't have minded dealing with Khione the Ice Goddess again instead of what they were doing now. Still, his point remained. "I had to find out from Annabeth that you were moving to Malibu, you know."

"It's not exactly what you tell someone right after they've broken up," she shot back, arms crossed.

"So what makes what I did different to what you did?"

"It doesn't. It—" Piper huffed and took in a deep breath in the same manner as when she addressed Coach Hedge. As radiantly beautiful as she was, Pipes also looked like a very frustrated friend. And very, very hurt.

Guilt seeped into the empty crevasses of Jason's chest; they'd left things too out in the open after the war was over. He knew what Piper wanted to say. That he was the jerk who didn't love her back. No amount of charmspeak could change the fact that their nine-month relationship was lived with a halfhearted Jason—even if it didn't start that way at first.

"I still care about you, you know." Jason's hands fell to his lap and he watched Piper's expression changed. It reminded him of the mask that Nico wore days ago—only Jason could point out every dent. "Just not in the way that you wanted me to." _Not in the way that __**I **__wanted to._

Silence.

"I'll be wrong," he decided. "Is that okay?"

"I don't want that either." To his relief, Piper shed the mask that she was keeping on. She fiddled with her choppy hair like she always did when they were dating and sat down across from him on an ottoman. The furniture in the living room alone put Jason's entire apartment—and wardrobe—to shame. "I just want to make sure we're still friends."

What? "Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

Piper's gaze narrowed and a tired smile spread across her lips. "I haven't talked to Leo in a long time either."

Jason visibly winced at the mention of his best friend's name. His eyebrows furrowed. Ever since Nico showed up in his apartment, Leo had been in the forefront of his mind, reminding him that it'd been the most memorable last two weeks of camp that Jason could wish for. He missed Leo's touches; the heat against his skin. He missed the light snickers in his ears.

He wanted nothing more than to show up at the Hephaestus Cabin and make sure Leo and he were still friends.

And here he was, standing in front of his ex-girlfriend recalling secrets with their best friend that would probably never be mentioned ever again.

"Honestly," Jason muttered under his breath, and he touched the back of his neck, "I haven't kept in good touch with anyone lately. Been busy."

"So it's not that he doesn't want to talk to me."

If Leo felt any bit as awkward as Jason felt at that current moment, then he understood why the pair hadn't spoken in a month. Jason felt more like a jerk now than he did ten seconds ago.

"Then," Piper said, commanding his attention before he could drift off to La-La Land. Her gaze contorted with confusion and she tilted her head. Something told Jason that the empathetic, emotional Aphrodite side of her was picking up on his guilt-filled cues. He thanked Jupiter that she didn't address it. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I was talking to Annabeth and Hazel about it not too long ago." Piper fiddled with her hair, suddenly looking nervous, and she held what she could of her expression. "Don't get me wrong. I came to Malibu to be with my dad. The…fact that you were on the other side of the country made it a little easier, since you said you'd be staying at Camp Halfblood. But—you weren't there. And you didn't go back to New Rome. Not because of a quest or anything like that, and it's not even like Hera swept you away and stole your memories again. It's like you fell off the face of the planet. And—"

"Knowing Gaea's accursed words of vengeance, that wouldn't be a long shot," Jason speculated. He almost smiled—because neither one of them was kidding. "I've been on a quest to find my inner self."

In the midst of breaking up over two months ago, he tried to explain to her what he wanted and what he truly _yearned _for. All of it was selfish—he knew, but Jason understood that he would never truly be happy if he strung people along and let them think more than what could be. It was the same attitude his father held—the Lord of the Sky, who reigned over everything. He could only hope that closing off these connections didn't come off as cold as Jason truly felt.

Right now he didn't have the answers for everything he looked for. He wanted Piper to be happy. For Leo to be happy. To be what they _wanted_ him to be—so they could all be happy. But most importantly—Jason wanted to find Nico.

Once those words left Jason's mouth, Piper's demeanor morphed, looking at him like he'd grown a second head. It was the Argo II all over again. He suddenly understood why Nico would seclude himself to the mast, in the shadows and away from the others.

"He barely stayed for the celebration feast," Jason pointed out. "If it weren't for him, Reyna would have never gotten the Athena Parthenos to Camp Halfblood."

"It's not that I'm downsizing his contribution to the war effort," Piper replied. Still, her face said it all, twisting with discomfort. "But you really want to seek him out? Don't get me wrong, Jason, but…he gave me the creeps. When he left with Reyna, I was actually _glad._"

"Piper, he's our comrade."

"Yeah, but he never trusted any of us—"

"Can you really blame him for not trusting anyone when everyone onboard was—was talking about him like you are right now? No one actually sat down and treated Nico like a person." _Except_ _Bianca di Angelo, rest her soul—even if Jason never got to meet her. Hazel. Jason. _Hopefully one day it'd actually sink in to Nico that Jason wasn't leaving. "If I was in his position, I'd leave too."

"Jason, you can't be serious." He could see it in her eyes—the discomfort, and a blatant grimace.

Another pang of guilt stabbed Jason in the chest. He could actually _see_ what Nico saw whenever people looked at him. Gods—Jason had given Nico that look, too. No wonder the Son of Hades found it unbelievable that Jason would suddenly do a one-eighty.

They looked to each other, attempting to stare the other down. Piper's kaleidoscope eyes themselves scrutinized every bit of Jason—before she relinquished. Her mouth contorted into a thin line. "You really want this."

"I've never wanted anything more in my life," Jason responded without missing a beat. He leaned over and clasped his hands together. Beneath him, he could make out the silhouette of his own shadow. Sunlight beamed in the room like a newfound day and his silhouette darkened, like a portal. _Nico_ overtook Jason's mind immediately.

The whole reason he moved to Los Angeles was to find the other demigod. It was the entrance closest to the Underworld—even if _all_ of them were fed up with Hades by this point. Los Angeles. Di Angelo. Jason entertained the thought that it was destiny.

It took a long month before Nico was actually found—and even then, he _appeared. _Jupiter knew whether or not Nico would even show up a second time. And if Jason left, he had no idea where to go to find the younger teen again.

It occurred to him that he knew nothing about Nico di Angelo—other than what he looked like, who was his Godly parent, and Nico's secret.

(The last one—it was a secret that bonded them and yet sent Nico running.)

"So what happens when you get bored of finding him?" He knew Piper couldn't help it—there was a tone in there that wanted him to know he hurt her. It was a conversation Leo and he had gotten into before they established there were "more-than-friends-type-feelings-things" going on between them.

Through their conversation, Jason's eyes remained to the shadows. They were darker in the sunlight—more defined, with the steady line drawn between Piper's norm and the depths of the unknown. Nico's face came back to mind during the night of their conversation. Maybe to himself, Nico was just playing along, but the Son of Hades cared enough to entertain Jason's whim. With the glow of moonlight against him, there was something in those dark eyes that made everything worth it. Something that was pleased.

Finally, Jason answered her back, his gaze fixating on the light against the contours of her tan face. "I won't."

An hour later, Jason had no choice but to leave an unconvinced Piper. He'd given her a hug and amended her for staying near her father—even if her doubts rubbed him the wrong way.

He found a basket of apples outside his apartment, waiting, with a simple note card: _To Jason Grace. _


	2. Act II: The Promise

-x-

**Act II: **The Promise

-x-

The next time Jason saw Nico di Angelo, there was a knock on the door.

He woke up groggy, body aching from menial tasks performed for a senile satyr the night before and—grateful, actually, because he'd had another dream about Leo.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Jason's gaze wandered toward the drachma sitting in a small bowl next to his sleeping bag. October was coming to an end soon—making it a full two and a half months since the last time Leo and he were in the same room together. It would be so _easy _to just throw a coin and _call, _but.

Every time Jason thought about it, he chickened out.

Another rapt of knocks hit the other side of his door, and Jason jumped.

_Knock Knock Knock. _

_Wow_. Jason rolled his eyes. Son of Jupiter, Slayer of Krios—and greatest, Fatal Flaw: company.

The Gods could only hope that it wasn't Stephen the Senile Satyr wanting him to spread manure on an imaginary field in the middle of Los Angeles. Again.

"Come in," Jason said tiresomely. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the glimmer of the drachma coins and promptly shoved them aside.

The door opened slowly with a quiet creak, and Nico di Angelo stood there, hands stuffed in his aviator's jacket and the flesh of his cheeks catching sunlight.

Wait a minute.

Jason squinted. Nico di Angelo. Aviator's jacket, pale-but-not-undernourished face, sharp shoulders, droopy, tired eyes.

In his apartment again.

"Am I dreaming?" Jason murmured under his breath. Overhead, sunlight beamed brightly, like Apollo had brushed his teeth with _Crest Extra Whitening _today and felt the need to share it with the world.

The Nico-figure at the other end of his room snorted—quiet and deep, and an eyebrow raised in the air, flattening the pretty sunbeams just a little. "What kind of dreams are _you_ having?"

Not very good ones. Jason ignored the voice in his head and gave Nico another once-over. "You're here."

"I am."

"Because…?" He'd rather not tempt the Fates with the idea of Nico leaving again, but years of quests and training made him numb to the _RISE AND SHINE_ of the morning sun. Jason was pretty sure he could sleep through the next war if it happened soon.

Nico's nose wrinkled cutely, his eyes flickering with the slightest bit of disdain as they rolled. His hair shook with him at the smallest jerk of his head and lips curled into a grimace. "Stephen the Satyr was worried that you got eaten."

"Why?"

A dark eyebrow arched in the air, accenting Nico's facial expression of, _Really? _He gestured in the direction of DOA Recording Studios.

"Oh," Jason said dumbly. He scratched head and heard the soft crackles of static electricity in his hair. "I'm fine. Kind of staying under the radar so I don't have to go tractor tipping with him."

"You'd be amazed how easy it is to find a tractor in Los Angeles," Nico mused under his breath. His eyes took the sight of Jason in—once again dressed in nothing but his boxers, and hair that was radiating with electricity. Then—Nico squinted. "You don't have a bed?"

"It was a water bed. Complimentary or something." Jason rotated the knots out of his shoulders and touched his hair again. He shivered at the thought of what'd happened afterward. "Apparently a water nymph got stuck inside of it. Should have realized that the squeaky sounds coming out of the mattress were actually giggles. And then—of course there's the angry Cyclops boyfriend that thinks you've been feeling up his girlfriend for the past week."

"Guess I don't need to ask about your broken window then," Nico remarked.

The said window was above Jason's head and completely shattered. Stuck to the ceiling were various horn-shaped projectiles and a rock that looked like Marilyn Munroe. "I like the breeze."

Silence.

Nico snorted, and something tingled in his gaze. Mirth.

Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing.

He'd seen the tender way that Nico would talk to Hazel, taking in what he could as a big brother. After she controlled the Mist for the first time and passed out, he took turns watching her with Frank, stroking her hair and making sure she was okay. He'd seen Nico's rueful smiles and the miser that lurked beneath him every time Percy's name had been mentioned—even if at the time Jason had no idea why. And he'd seen that face—the one that was stricken with tears in a dark cave when his biggest secret was let out, and then anger. Ferocity.

However here they were, with a single _sound_ that left Nico's lips that made Jason think was the most incredible thing in the world.

"You were there that day, weren't you?" Jason asked. His eyes narrowed at Nico's back as the other boy waltzed up to the broken window for observation. The other teen looked over his shoulder, ghosting the sunlight with his complexion. "When I went up to Malibu."

Nico arched an eyebrow. He stretched the word flatly. "Malibu."

"I didn't get to thank you for the apples," Jason said. "They were juicy. You could have handed them to me yourself, you know."

"_Malibu_," Nico said again, testing it on his tongue. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You were there. In the shadows when I was talking to Piper," the blond repeated. His eyebrows furrowed as Nico's eyes glazed over, uncomprehending. "You heard what I said."

"What did you say to McLean?" Nico's tone dropped from a quiet murmur to a tight demand. His shoulders stiffened and his entire face scrunched into a glare at the boy in front of him. A rush of cold air blew through Jason, numb like death. The Son of Hades seethed, anger in his eyes. "What did you _tell _her?"

Okay. Ormaybe he _wasn't_ there.

"I told her that I was looking for you," Jason responded instinctively. He watched as Nico's cheeks flushed with anger and refused the impulse to reach for the knife under his pillow.

In an instant, Nico's expression shifted—still wary, but looking more confused than enraged.

"I don't go around and tell my friends' secrets, Nico. I'd never do that." The blond kept his voice calm, his hands placed firmly on each knee. He almost wished he had Piper's talent to mediate, instead of saying all of the wrong words for Nico. "I swear—I swear on the River Styx that I will _never_ tell your secret, Nico, unless I have your permission."

The stiffness in Nico's shoulders loosened, and his breathing steadied.

"I don't do that," Jason reiterated. "Okay?"

Finally, Nico's shoulders relaxed. His eyebrows knitted together, rigid, and he looked up to Jason like he didn't know what to do next—other than a grouchy, _I'm still mad at you_ frown. The last time Jason riled him up like this, Nico had fled.

So…what was keeping him from doing this now?

"Why are you still in the area?" Nico asked finally. His voice deteriorated into a tiny sound, shriveled, and his gaze narrowed.

"Why did you bring me apples?"

"I asked first."

The elder teen stared at the other for a moment, taking in Nico's sneer. He was distrustful—and Jason blamed himself for tripping over his own words again. "I…didn't know where else to go." He rubbed the back of his neck and pulled himself to his feet—noting the quiet step Nico took back, if only to distance them. "I mean…it's no guarantee that you'd even come back. But I don't know where I could track you down if I left."

It was taking everything for Nico to wrap his head around what Jason had just said. His eyes shrouded over with an unreadable expression, face scrunching into a demeanor, torn between the stoic mask Nico di Angelo wielded at their first encounter—and the dents that made Nico more than human. His gaze jerked, searching for the shadows to cower in about the room. Finally, "Why?" _Why are you doing this? Why are you still looking? Why didn't you quit? _

"Because I'm your friend," Jason responded without missing a beat. "You go around from place-to-place because you can't find a home. I want you to know that that's not the case with me. You can _always_ find me if you need to talk about something."

"Bullshit."

"You think I'd spend two and a half months next to the gate to the Underworld if I didn't think I had the chance to see you?" Jason's tone mixed with quiet humor. He extended a hand, waiting for Nico's reaction, and straightened his back. "I'm your friend."

Jason supposed neither one of them knew what to expect next. Nico's cheeks flushed with sanguine, bloody red as the apples that he'd eaten on the first day. His lips remained tightly locked together in a straight line, gaze wary as it inspected the blonde's hand. "I told you that you're making a mistake."

"I don't see it like that." Shaking his head, the elder teen placed his other hand at the back of his neck. "You know that if you run away, I'm just going to hunt you down again."

"You just said—"

"I know. I realized that I really want to be friends with you, but we never sat down and got to know each other on the Argo II, or share drinks and bond over camaraderie and all of that stuff. I don't really know you," Jason admitted. "But that's what getting to know someone is for. Just—Gods, Nico, just can it, humor me a little, and shake my hand. _Please._"

_Gods _was Nico stubborn. He reached up, a pale white, ghostly hand rising in mid-air before he faltered.

Jason refused the urge to groan. This was just a way to test his patience. "Let me prove to you that I can be what you want me to be."

The hesitation never left the Son of Hades' eyes. They stood apart from each other like they were sealing a deal to a binding contract. And—if that was what it took, Jason was sure he was willing to do it.

Unfortunately, the younger teen shoved his hand back into the pocket of his aviator's jacket. He straightened his back, standing taller than he did before, and looked up beneath tufts of unruly dark hair. A chill ran up Jason's spine, and he shuddered, as Nico di Angelo looked up straight in the eye.

The glimmer of the mad genius remained in his darkened orbs, with a speck of rueful mirth that wanted Jason to regret what he'd just said. Still, it was the _mirth_ that got him—humoring Jason's words, but still consuming the thought anyway. It was an unspoken gesture of a challenge.

"Prove it," Nico said.

Good.

"The rooftop, fifteen minutes. Bring your sword," Jason said. He noted Nico's arched eyebrow and continued, "I want to spar with you." And maybe put some pants on, he said to himself with a roll of his eyes.

Nico snorted. Sure enough, through their entire exchange, Jason could see the tip of Nico's sheath peeping from beneath the jacket. He took a step back, swinging his legs until the edge of his shoe met the visible shadow of the broken window.

Before he could disappear, Jason snatched the boy by his arm. "Fifteen minutes," he repeated again. "Please be there."

They exchanged one more look—and like the first time, Nico disappeared.

-x-

_Know the soldier, and know your team._ It was the motto that kept Jason's head high back in his days in the Twelfth Legion. He had the advantage of knowing most of the people he'd grown up with in the Fifth Cohort, either as big brothers and sisters or as comrades before he became praetor. New recruits, however, he remembered were always tricky. They were either shy, cocky, or numb from the training with Lupa.

But as a soldier and a comrade, it was the quickest way to deduce the other person's strengths and weaknesses, and their personalities. He'd done this with Reyna on various occasions when she first came to camp—Jason remembered that well. She never smiled. She kept every compliment tight to her heart, pierced her enemy with her eyes, and move with perfect form like she was one of the roman soldiers in a text book.

Battle styles were easy to read among his friends, too. Percy was fluid like the ocean, swinging Riptide in openings he could find. His actual strikes were like high tides slamming into rocky cliffs on shore—and he always had a smartass comment at the tip of his tongue, whether or not they were on the battlefield. Annabeth spent a lot of time fighting with her celestial bronze knife (along with her new sword made out of a drakon's bone—she kept that as memorabilia, apparently, in Reyna's office in new Rome.)

Once the war was done, Leo and she constructed a new dagger—one that just like the original, she used like an extension of her right arm. Frank preferred long-rang with his arrows, but with a spear in hand, he handled brute force the same way Clarisse did. Hazel relied on speed and force, which she gained with the help of Arion. The speed, she relayed to Piper as she taught his ex-girlfriend—and Pipes used a combination of charmspeak and her dagger, Katoptris, when her enemies were stunned. She didn't like fighting, Jason knew. But hell hath no fury, when she had no choice.

As for Leo, Jason thought of him as a backup generator. Leo had options. One of the rare times that they sparred, Leo was hastily able to dodge most of Jason's blows and tinker with his tool belt. And when that didn't work—Leo used fire. In between each blow and bolts and nuts, Leo always added a cheesy or snarky comment.

(Ultimately, Jason loss—but at the time he didn't mind it if that meant Leo was grinning from ear-to-ear.)

For Nico, Jason knew the other teen had better control over his abilities than any of them on the Argo II. Jason himself spent nine months recovering his memories and figuring out what his body was capable of. With Percy's combined effort they were able to create an incredible storm—but it left them vulnerable and exhausted for a fairly long time. Nico wasn't too far up there in exerting energy—but he did it plenty better than Jason ever could.

(He entertained the thought of spending a few months training in the sky, but Jason doubted his efforts would go noticed by Jupiter.)

If Nico was bent on refusing every proposal of Jason's, then Jason would simply go after the other boy full force. Besides. A good swordfight would most likely do wonders for the both of them.

Thus, fifteen minutes after Jason brushed his teeth and put pants on, he flew out the window and landed on the rooftop six stories up. Examining the bare area (some TV satellites, a few beer bottles and a weird balloon animal in the shape of a wiener dog), he found Nico beneath the only square of shadows behind sunlight.

The younger boy had taken his jacket off, laying it gingerly on the ground next to him. Whenever he did that, the muscles Jason found always surprised him. Nico wasn't anywhere near as big as Frank—or Percy, or Jason himself. He had lean muscle that clung to his bones, and sharp, bony shoulders that would widen with age.

The guy was only fourteen, but he stood at the same height as Leo—and no doubt, would probably grow taller, too. Swinging over his back was his sword, and the cluster of skull rings adorned his fingers remained pale—sucking out the sunlight as it drifted in his direction.

Nico's eyes watched as Jason touched the ground. His lips pressed together and he stood flat on his feet. "You're wearing pants."

"Figured you were tired of seeing my boxers," Jason quipped.

"I'll miss the ducks." A wry frown curled across Nico's exhausted face and he took one step forward—yet still, remained in the shadows. He looked up to the sky, squinting like he was in pain and asked, "You felt the need to give yourself an advantage?"

Jason shrugged as he came closer to the other boy. His hand fell to the gladius around his belt and gaze narrowed to Nico's small square of shadows. "Besides. You have the most control out of anyone that I know. Giving you that plank means I might already be screwed."

"You have that much faith in my powers?"

"I do." Jason took in the sight of the stygian iron sword. It was three feet long, dark as the night, and seemed to suck the light out of everything as they spoke. Just looking at it brought chills through him. The sixteen-year-old could barely imagine actually _wielding _it. "This is an exercise that I started when I first became praetor. Sparring with your weapon of choice. You find out a lot about your new comrade when they're backed against a wall."

"Huh," Nico said halfheartedly. With his hands out of his pockets, Jason could see the gloves Nico wore beneath his assortment of rings. Maybe they were there to keep his soul from getting absorbed into the sword. That being said, he went to touch the hilt of his blade over his shoulder and took Jason in thoughtfully.

Instantly, Jason responded, "I'm not going to kill you or anything. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." Jason unsheathed his gladius and caught the glow of sunlight against the imperial gold. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be to take on the legendary Jason Grace," Nico replied. (Which was exactly what Jason meant—he now knew Nico's sense of humor involved mocking everything he said. Which. Uh. Wasn't a far stretch from their norm anyway.)

"Set. Go."

They circled each other, with Nico finally stepping out of the shadows. He almost looked like a different person with the light against his skin—but his tight-lipped expression remained. Silence. Jason's pulse beat in his ears, and they both waited for the other to make the first move.

"I know you think it's a stupid exercise," he said after a minute of their guardedness. "But at least this way you can let out some anger you have against me."

"While you go easy on me," Nico continued for him, his expression warranted. "And all of this is supposed to let you get a better grip of what kind of fighter I am."

"And what kind of person you are," the blonde reminded him.

"You're stupid."

Maybe so. Jason shrugged. "What's your favorite color?"

Nico gave him a look, like the elder teen was the stupidest person in the world, with a disbelieving _'Really?' _behind them.

"Mine's orange," the elder teen said.

"Black," he responded. Then he charged for a first strike.

The sword in Nico's hand extended with the full intention of delivering a blow to Jason's shoulder. Jason raised his gladius to counter—and then, Nico disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Nico's shoes touched the edge of the blonde's shadow and he disappeared into a silhouette. Jason saw his _shadow_ move beneath him—and the next thing he knew, there was a blade at his side. An ankle looped around his own, and he fell to the ground, head slamming against concrete.

_Wow, _was Jason stupid.

He suddenly had a flashback to Kansas when Percy and he were possessed by eidolons and fought each other. They spent a good amount of time as new bros, but also as rivals, egging the other on since they were both "leaders" of camp. While Jason was concerned that he could have killed Percy, Percy had no trouble stating he could do the same. It wasn't often that you actually met someone that could challenge you. In Greek terms, they were two of the Big Three: Poseidon, Zeus, and—well, Hades.

Jason was really, _really _stupid.

"So you like to use speed," he speculated, orbs aimed at the sky. In the corner of his eye, he could see the point of the dark sword—and Nico's silently expressive smirk.

"Thanks for going _easy_ on me," Nico said.

Wow.

To his surprise, the next unpredictable move of the _Agile Nico di Angelo _involved an extended free hand to help Jason up. The change was apparent, apart from twenty minutes ago when Jason declared he was Nico's friend downstairs. The younger boy was satisfied with the thought of one-upping him.

"I was right," Jason said as he stood to his feet again. The grip between their hands didn't last long—as soon as Jason was on the soles of his shoes, Nico let go. The sword in his hand tapped the ground, as though they were raising shadows. "You have _incredible_ control over your powers, Nico."

Nico grunted. They both knew Jason made his mistake when the words, _I'll go easy on you_, came out of his mouth. But—"You're right," he said flatly. "Pounding you to the ground _did _make me feel better." The corner of his lip curled into a smirk, with the gleam of the madman in his eyes.

"Can you do it again?"

"Is that a challenge, Grace?"

Oh, Jason _lived_ for challenges. "Best two out of three. You knock me down again and you can tell Hazel that you kicked my ass."

Albeit, he rarely swore—the word leaving his mouth caused one of Nico's eyebrows to rise in the air. Jason realized he had a strange reputation for being a goody two-shoes. Regardless, the smirk across Nico's face twisted to the other cheek. "Deal."

Round Two lasted longer than round one. Jason now knew better than to take everything Nico did at face value (which he should have known in the first place, he chastised himself for later), and took in Nico's battle style eventually. Stances he took reminded Jason of Hazel and her spatha—which made sense, given that the two children of Hades/Pluto often trained together. They both had speed—but Nico was definitely a master at feinting.

Twice Jason nearly slipped as he dodged the wrong blows. For someone who hated physical contact, Nico knew how to work his legs and twist around Jason like snake. He was more agile than Leo—with quicker reflexes, no doubt. Nico used his height as an advantage.

As for everything else—Jason took in as well. Nico's eyes were everywhere during their battle, taking in shadows and the arena around him. When he made a blow, a ghost of a grin would twist across his face—clearly invested in their fight. He was enjoying every bit of it. Jason doubted Nico'd ever had a friendly spar with someone. Percy was the next closest person to him—and that was like saying Jason was close to the brick that'd knocked him over the head at the start of the Roman-Greek Civil War.

Nico knew how to read bodies better than anyone else Jason fought with. During his spars with Percy or even Annabeth, they described Jason like the winds: flexible and wispy, but the force of his sword was like a storm slapping someone in the face.

Nothing compared to a spar like this.

Because—

_ZZZZTTTT _

—the only person—aside from monsters—Jason ever came _close _to electrocuting was Percy. Until now.

"Nico!"

Everything else was a catalyst of events. Nico had charged right, then feinted left, and Jason's first instinct meant jabbing his palm into Nico's chest and letting sparks fly.

The younger teen's entire body convulsed, his pupils shrinking to pen points and eyes widening to the size of two celestial bronze shields. He toppled backwards over his leg, sword dropping with a deafening _CLANG_ on the ground.

Instantly, Jason chased after him, his trembling fingers going to Nico's neck to check for a pulse. The younger teen's shoulders and chest expanded in a hurried rhythm, mouth inhaling whatever oxygen he could.

"I am so sorry," Jason rushed. Despite everything, he gripped Nico by the shoulders and looked into the younger teen's eyes. "Are you okay? I—it was reflex, I didn't mean to—"

"So it's a tie," the younger boy cut off. He sucked in a deep breath of fresh air and curled his hands against Jason's shoulders. His fingers shook, trying to get a better grip. "Powers are allowed now?"

Pause. "Are you…sure you're okay?"

To Jason's complete and utter surprise, Nico's gaze once more glazed over with his dry, _'Really?' _look. "You're forgetting that I've had you on your ass this entire round."

"But—"

"Glad to know that you're completely _shocked_ at the fact you were able to land a hit."

"But, Nico—"

"Grace." The Son of Hades pushed Jason's hands off of him with less ferocity than Jason expected. A shadow tendril wrapped around Nico's sword and swam toward its master (a long one—Jason realized. They'd been fighting for what felt like hours.) Both of them were a little bruised, but nothing too damaging. "Do I need to do a dance for you so you know I'm okay?"

Now that they were stopped, Jason could feel an ache in his side. Nico was right—that thrust was the first big blow Jason had landed since their match started.

"You know how to dance?"

"It's called sarcasm."

"I know you know how to do that." Jason's heartbeat slowed, now that he knew Nico was in better condition. He didn't realize it'd sped up.

The curl of a smirk etched across Nico's face, piercing black eyes looking up to meet Jason's gaze. Beneath him, the shadows coiled around his feet like a living entity, reminding Jason vaguely of Jack Skeleton's bony arms. He wondered if being in the shadows had the same healing effect as being in the water did for Percy. If anything, it held the gusto of home and comfort—just like being in the air was a second nature to Jason.

On instinct he reached out to touch Nico once more—and curled his hands, knowing they'd only be batted away. Touch wasn't a privilege that he'd earned from Nico yet. The rigid look the younger boy suddenly gave him stopped Jason in his tracks—he'd been lucky before.

"I think I know you better," Jason muttered under his breath.

"Likewise," Nico murmured. Nothing else. He examined Jason—from the standard crop cut of a legionnaire that'd grown out a few inches since moving to Los Angeles, to the hands that'd dug into Nico like claws, down to Jason's legs. The last one, Jason had no idea why.

There'd been no tension toward the end of the last round; nothing related to anger that motivated their blows. The beginning of their second round held harsher attacks Nico made—probably everything he'd wanted to do to Jason since their moment in the cave. Since then, Jason saw a side of Nico that was rarely expressed—not as freely as this.

"We should get something to eat after this," Jason proposed. "I'm starving."

He didn't get a response—just Nico's eyes on him. The younger boy turned his entire body, finger curling into a quiet C.

Right.

"One more round, di Angelo." A grin split across Jason's face—he wondered just _why_ he was grinning ear-to-ear. "No holding back."

"I won't go easy on you then."

If possible, Jason's smile widened. They stood apart from each other with orange light fluttering behind them. With the pulse beating in the blonde's ears, he charged forward to Nico—who melted into the ground.

What the—

"Grace!"

Before Jason knew it, he'd tripped over the ledge of the apartment building and went freefalling. He maneuvered his body, pushing the winds beneath him, and flew high into the sky.

Nico's small face looked up to him, eyes wide and jaw unhinged.

A giddy grin spread across Jason's lips. He blew a tuft of air—a quick gust that pushed the younger boy back. "Ready when you are, di Angelo!"

-x-

"You never told me why you brought the apples."

Later, after the sun set behind the landscape of the city, they went out for pizza at a small restaurant-café two blocks from Jason's apartment. Nico donned his aviator's jacket, muscles once more hidden beneath the coat after Los Angeles chilled for the night. It was no Christmas in New York—nor would it ever get that cold in LA for it to matter, but it was obvious that the jacket had a lot of meaning to it. After their last round, Jason opted for food—and was pleased, that Nico agreed. (It was more like Jason asking, and Nico making a face before lowering his head an inch.)

Nico pulled apart a cheese stick and watched the mozzarella stretch and dribble in between. His gaze rose to meet Jason's face—once again sporting the look that Jason assumed was meant just for him. "Why does it matter to you?"

Shrug. Reaching to their centerpiece, Jason pulled out another cheese stick and sprinkled parmesan on it. Not once did he lose eye contact with the other boy. "I like to know who leaves me fruit baskets in the middle of the night. It's kind of my thing."

The edge of Nico's lips curled into a smirk. The context was different from what Jason had seen hours ago—with eyes that examined him all the same. Somewhere in the years since becoming a demigod, he'd mastered reading bodies too well. The hint of a smile faded away following Jason's second onceover—serious, but not angry. "Los Angeles is a dangerous place for a demigod to be, Grace. For anyone. The entrance to the Underworld itself can latch onto your soul and drive mortals insane. Or worse."

"Explains a lot about celebrities," Jason muttered under his breath. He filled his mouth with bits of cheese as Nico scoffed. "Maybe that's what happened to my mother."

The rhythm of their conversation hiccupped. As Jason looked up, he was met by Nico's thoughtful gaze. "I thought you didn't remember your mother."

"I don't. Not personally." The blonde pushed the rest of his cheese stick into his mouth and leaned back in his seat. Flashbacks of what Thalia said about their mother returned to the forefront of his mind and he shrugged. "I've never even seen a picture of her. But Thalia told me she was a popular star in the 80s. She thought she was better than everyone else because she attracted the King of the Gods. Not once, but twice."

He explained the story as best he could—how after his mother had given him away, Thalia called the police on her and eventually ran away, fed up with their mother's antics. Then—the fact that she latched onto alcohol and died in a drunken accident two years before Thalia turned back into a human.

Eventually, Nico made a noise—some disgruntled sound as he wrinkled his nose and raised his eyes to take in the Son of Jupiter. "Do you feel the need to tell everyone about your personal life?"

Shrug. "Only the people I think have the right to know."

"And how do _I_ fit in the scheme of things?"

"You're my friend. And if I'm _your _friend, then it'd help if you knew some things about me." As a second thought, Jason added, "And yes, you're one of the few that actually know. Piper and Leo know because they were there. Annabeth knows, but Thalia was the one to tell her. I'm telling you because I trust you."

"Gods, you're a chatterbox," Nico muttered under his breath. He fell silent, with a thoughtful expression across his face.

Not that Jason could blame him—it was a lot to take in when you were spilling your guts out to someone else. He never considered himself an open person, even before his memories were lost. Most of the days before coming to Camp Halfblood found Jason living in his head. There weren't very many people who could relate to you when your father was King of the Gods.

Being a little _Greek_ and finding his sister had changed that part of him. Not to mention being with Leo and Piper—then Percy, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth—and now, Nico, who understood what it was like to be the descendent of a powerful god and have no one relate to you. Not like they could to each other.

"So about the apples," Jason said suddenly, remembering that'd been the center of their conversation.

The lull ceased. Nico snapped out of his trance, cocking his head to meet Jason's curiosity—before rolling his eyes. "You've got guts, Grace. Either that or you're incredibly lucky to be able to stay here so long unscathed. I've. Kept tabs on you since moving in."

Wait, wait, wait. "You've kept _tabs_ on me?"

"Someone has to." This time, the younger boy glared, diminishing any surprise or shock Jason had and shrinking it. "Anyway, the ghosts have told me things. You exhaust yourself carrying out these duties for the magical creatures and take ill care of yourself."

_Jason_ took ill care of himself? Jeez—

"I was on the Argo II with you, Jason Grace. Despite your feats, you're no Superman."

Jason froze.

"The Fatal Flaw of Children of Zeus and Jupiter is Power, like Zeus's power struggle with his brothers. Yours is somewhere along those lines," Nico continued. "You think that just because he's your father, you you're some superhero that can fix all problems. But it's the mortal half of you that supposedly keeps you grounded, so-to-speak. The _apples_ were so you'd have something to eat, other than a few frozen dinners here and there." He paused for a moment, his shoe kicking at concrete. "They aren't much. But they were the easiest to buy, and you could eat them on the go—"

"They were delicious," Jason interrupted. He watched as Nico's face shriveled into something, as though the younger boy couldn't figure out what demeanor he wanted to express. "You're telling me that you put those apples outside my door because you're a nice person?"

Pause. Eyebrow raise. Jason _really_ needed to figure out what to call that look.

"Right—sorry." He pressed a hand to his face, knowing everything he'd just said was utterly stupid. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jason let Nico's observations soak in. "I didn't mean it that way. I'm just—"

"Thanks," Nico said.

Um. "What?"

The Son of Hades' made another face, clearly not expecting his own interjection. His eyebrows knit together, cheeks flushing red in embarrassment at the sudden outburst. Biting the inside of his mouth, Nico slouched in his chair and stuffed his hands in his pockets. After a moment, he spoke again. "Thank you. For what you did today. For what you've been doing. The thing about me…my secret. I…I've never accepted it, but—"

"Nico, with or without that secret, if I knew you were hurting than I would have come to you a long time ago." Jason reached out to touch the boy on the shoulder—and then stopped. Eyebrows furrowing sheepishly, he shrugged. "It's just who I am. I hate seeing people suffer. And—I've seen the way you look at Hazel. I—didn't mean that 'nice' comment. I know you are. You're just a little…_a lot_ misunderstood."

The younger demigod bit the inside of his mouth, dark orbs suddenly falling to his plate. He flushed once more, with the sanguine ripe in his cheeks. It wouldn't occur to Jason until much later that this was it—this was Nico _trying. _Trusting. Instead, Jason ran Nico's observations through his head again.

"You're right." Gods, was Nico right. "Sometimes I'm afraid even with all the power that I have, that I won't be happy until I get more. You'd think that saving nymphs and mythical creatures would be enough, but…" He trailed off, unsure how to finish his sentence. Jason fiddled with his belt loop, his eyes falling to the ground.

Silence.

"Sometimes we're so busy being godly that we've got to find the right people to remind us we're human, too." Piper. Leo. Thalia. For Nico, it was Hazel.

Funny that of all places to remind them, Jason chose a mortal restaurant that was currently in the process of whipping up their pizza. Looking around the terrace, there were plenty of kids in their age range—some with textbooks, others with their phones out and talking in fast-paced voices. They had no idea how _easy_ they had it.

"I've had you pegged wrong, di Angelo. Not even that. I just—I didn't try." Jason looked up again, catching Nico's startled gaze. He attempted a tired smile and ran a hand through his hair. "You've got amazing control over your powers. I'm jealous."

"I…thank you."

"Can you teach me?"

Evidently Nico's _'really?' _face also came in handy as a, '_you're crazy_' face. A flicker in the younger teen's gaze let Jason know that Nico was running the scenarios through his head before he finally answered, "What I learned, I don't think I can teach you. Literally."

No—Jason knew that. He also knew that in their last around when they exchanged blows that they were both exerting the equal amount of energy. Despite Jason's own endurance, it was enough of a struggle that made his body want to rest, rather than go out for a meal. Still.

"I was never trained by a descendant of Jupiter in New Rome. If there were any, I wouldn't know. There are too many territories in the sky for me to actually train." Jupiter had a wide domain—and along that, there were too many territories and deities that Jason would offend in the process of controlling his own powers. That was where he was jealous. Nico had the Underworld at his fingertips and Percy had the ocean. The Gorgon's blood that he consumed, especially, made it easier for Percy to remember everything more easily. Jason, on the other hand, was still fuzzy on his details. "I want to train with you."

"You're insane."

"I want to spend more time with you," Jason corrected. He crossed his arms, pulse beating again in his chest. "There's a difference."

Despite everything, Nico caved into himself with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He touched his shoulders to his ears, hair falling in his eyes, and blew the bangs out of his gaze before giving the elder teen another wry look. "I don't see it."

Neither one mentioned that it wasn't exactly a 'no.'

-x-

The next few weeks were spent together. If someone told Jason earlier that he would be able to carry a full conversation with Nico di Angelo, he almost wouldn't believe it. Most of what they discussed were the habits of demigods and tactics that were common between each child. As Nico had pointed out, Jason had major mastery over his powers as a Son of Jupiter—anything that Jason wanted, Nico couldn't directly teach him.

"It's not that you don't know the extent of your powers," the Son of Hades speculated one day. He sat next to Jason on a park bench, sucking the juices out of pomegranate seeds, one-by-one. The area they'd chosen was in a secluded space, covered by enough trees that no one would question where they were. (Jason thought it wiser not to mention it was a common make out place for teenagers when Nico suggested it.) "It's that you spend so much time in your head, _thinking_ that you don't let instinct take over."

Jason arched an eyebrow, amused. He took the seeds out of Nico's hands as they were offered to him and popped one in his mouth. "You think you know how I think." It wasn't a question—Jason realized he had a fondness for Nico's speculation shortly after their first spar with each other.

The younger boy snorted. "Seeing as you never shut up about your personal life, I don't think I have a choice."

"Shoot," Jason declared. In the matter of three weeks, they'd gone from begrudging allies to comrades to—what Jason hoped Nico agreed—friends. Nico managed to visit him at least four times a week—whatever his motivation being, Jason was flattered to be a part of that decision. He'd spoken to his brethren in New Rome only a handful of times—each time with a request for him to come back. Leo had been pushed to the back of his mind for the time being—and talking to Percy was sporadic.

Knowing Nico's secret and talking to one of his best friends was a struggle. Somehow it felt like a betrayal of Nico's trust—something that Jason knew he didn't want to lose. So he welcomed the company of the younger teen and was relieved that he had a friend to share his thoughts with.

"You say that you trained in the Wolf House until the age of four, when Lupa deemed you worthy to make the journey to New Rome. Everything you learned at that point was instinct as you trained with the wolves. Informal training that allowed you to tap into the raw, animalistic side of you to survive. After that, you spent time with the Twelfth Legion." Nico's gaze narrowed, observing the elder teen carefully before continuing. "Then you got formal training. You know every text book definition to run a roman militia, and it took precedence over your powers because it's something you can do."

"And?"

"Losing your memories was probably the best thing that ever happened to you." The juices of the pomegranate leaked in Nico palms. He spun the fruit in his hands, letting the seeds collect at the tips of his fingers. "It let you rely on instinct again. You discovered your powers before you discovered your heritage, which made you whole."

Okay. That was where Jason disagreed. "Just because I have a better understanding of my powers doesn't mean that I turned my back on Camp Jupiter."

"Yet here you are. Neither at Camp Jupiter, nor Camp Halfblood—"

"Yeah. To find you."

"—urgh." To Jason's surprise, Nico's face contorted at the hiccup of his own speech. The younger boy's eyes widened, irises focusing on Jason at the corner of his gaze. He rolled them, refusing to mull over Jason's words, and halted. He was quiet for a moment, before looking back up to Jason. "Yeah. To…find me."

Had Jason been paying attention, he would have seen the tips of Nico's ears darken. Instead, he took the flustered Nico in as a whole—knowing that it was unintentional. Jason had no idea how, but Leo's bluntness had apparently rubbed off on him. And—well, Leo.

The more days that passed since that fateful night at Camp Halfblood, the more of a jerk Jason like felt for not contacting his best friend.

"You were right, you know," Jason muttered under his breath.

"At which part?"

"Power. I mean…" Leaning forward, Jason rested his elbows to his knees and twisted his brain until he could find the most concrete way to describe everything. "Heracles holds a bitter resentment because as a son of Jupiter, he had all of these expectations thrust upon him. He's right. Thalia changed her fate and devotes herself to Artemis now. She resented our mother and hates our father. I feel like I'm the same way. The thing is—I get what's expected of me. I became a Praetor, a leader in Jupiter's name. I have all of these friends, and I still just feel…lonely. Selfish."

"Selfish?"

"I got swapped with Percy because I was seen as the camp leader for Camp Jupiter," Jason said. The corner of his lip rose sheepishly and he tapped against his fingers—suddenly nervous. "I should be happy that I filled out Juno's prerequisite. But instead after the War, I've been spending my time figuring out if that's really what I wanted. I think I was happy with being at Camp Halfblood because it wasn't what was expected of me. But that didn't help either. I don't know what I want, so I feel…_bad_, when I can't be what others want."

"Seems to me that you've got high expectations of yourself," the younger teen said. He made a sound and slumped against the bench, legs apart. Peering from beneath his long bangs, he took in Jason's form once more.

Jason shrugged. "I'm tired of disappointing people. But I don't want to be selfish and…_not try_ for them_._"

To his surprise, Nico's next sound was a breathy chuckle. Cocking his head to the younger teen, he watched as Nico shook with disdain.

"What? Hey—I'm spilling my guts out here."

"That's cowardice, Grace. You've given yourself two options here: go along with what is expected of a Child of Jupiter, and go along with what you actually _want_ with yourself." Shaking his head once more, Nico picked the last of his pomegranate and flung the shell into the nearby trashcan. Three-pointer. His eyes flashed with an unreadable look and he focused in on Jason. "But you're stuck. You created a third option for yourself by deciding not to go anywhere. Any decision you make on your own will be considered selfish—you're going to hurt people on your way getting there, and you just need to accept that."

"But—"

"No buts. No, _'I think'_-s. You're not _Superman_, Jason, your other half is human. If you want to learn how to master your powers with better endurance, then you need to trust in them more than what you learned in New Rome." Nico stuffed his hands in his pockets and eyed him warily. "You need to trust yourself more and go with your first thought."

For once, Jason didn't have a response ready for the other boy. In a few short words, Nico'd been able to examine what Jason couldn't. It was certainly one exquisite way to say, _'Bullshit.' _

"It's," Nico continued—and he stopped short a breath before looking away. "It's why Percy left the war the least changed. He never did change. People just realized how powerful he really was. He knows fairly well who he is and never forgot. So few people can _be_ that lucky." His last sentence tapered off into a whisper, and dark hair fell into his eyes.

Suddenly Jason wanted to do nothing more than brush the hair out of Nico's way. Nico slapped his hand away before he could try.

Uh—right. No touching.

"Jackson has an awful tendency to rely on dumb luck," Jason pointed out. He crossed his arms, recalling the story about how Percy had "outsmarted" Phineas in a game of chance.

"He can be incredibly stupid," Nico agreed. "But he pulls through."

Silence. It occurred to Jason that it was the first time that Nico had voluntarily mentioned the Son of Poseidon in their conversation—and so casually, too. He couldn't help but wonder why. Also—"Did you call me Jason?"

Nico made a face. "What."

"You called me Jason," the blonde reminded him. "When you said that I was in over my head with my decisions—"

"Sorry—" Nico pressed the tips of his fingers to his forehead and closed his eyes, as though massaging his temples. "I got caught up—"

"You can call me that, you know." Jason cut him off again, leaning forward to catch a better glimpse of the Son of Hades. This time when he smiled, he couldn't help the satisfaction bubbling in his stomach. "No point in calling me 'Grace' unless you're sizing me up, right?"

Another face to be made, another eyebrow to be raised. Nico put emphasis rolling his eyes theatrically and shook his head. "Jason—"

"You said it again."

"Ergh. _Grace_, this fascination you have with me is stupid enough. Don't make a show out of something that doesn't need to be a show."

"Maybe." Jason bit the inside of his mouth and watched the other boy intently. He thought to reach over and touch Nico's shoulder—but knew better than to mess with an already-irritated Nico. Still, he couldn't overcome the satisfaction that came with talking with Nico. Something about having the other teen there always made Jason a little more aware, a little happier. Every discussion they had left Jason more satisfied than the last. "But if we're going off what you said, then you're the first selfish decision I've made in a long time."

"_Ergh_," Nico said again. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back to hide his face from the elder teen, like a sign of surrender.

At that point, Jason couldn't help it. He laughed, head raised with the throaty sound leaving his mouth. When was the last time he felt this good?

The faintest hint of a smile curled against Nico's lips, and that made everything all the better.

-x-

Two more weeks, fourteen more days with untouched drachma sitting in a bowl on the floor next to Jason's sleeping bag.

He touched them half-heartedly with bare hands. They'd become a plentiful pile from duties carried out for the local creatures. Many of them had opened a tab, exclaiming to Jason that whatever he wanted in the future—he got it.

Looking up, Jason's eyes fell to the charm that hung above the window of his room:one of Nico's skull rings. While it seemed like nothing, it kept a barrier around Jason's still-intact apartment to keep creatures away. The metal was an alloy found in the Underworld, near Pluto's domain. The ring radiated with magic aura that would 'ward off evil spirits.'

It wasn't much, Nico explained to him one day, but it would keep water nymphs from swirling around in Jason's toilet. That, among other creatures.

Callused fingers touched the brim of the bowl full of drachma. Beside it was a prism that'd been gifted to Jason by one Coach Hedge, for "having chutzpah." What to say…what to say…

"You get Hazel's message?"

Jason cocked his head. The Son of Hades stood at the other side of his open door, hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes narrowing straight to the elder boy.

"Nico—hi." Pushing the bowl away from himself, Jason turned to face the other teen and offered a tired smile. He touched the back of his head and leaned back in his seat. "Didn't hear you come in." Man, the guy really needed a bell around his neck.

Nico's expression contorted with a mixture of amusement and nonchalance. Somewhere in the past few months, blonde assumed that Nico was just disappointed that popping up on Jason didn't scare him anymore. "Do you ever?"

"Good point." A flood of relief suddenly drowned Jason's pulse and he patted the area next to him for Nico to sit. "What's up?"

The other teen looked around the room like he always did. Stepping forward, Nico plopped down across from Jason with his hands still stuffed in his pockets. Something about his expression caused Jason to forget what he was going to do earlier. "You get Hazel's message?"

"What? Yeah." Nodding carefully, Jason crossed his arms and offered up half a smile. "She's planning on throwing a Thanksgiving celebration. Reyna offered her approval and arranged for one of the houses in New Rome to be rented out for the seven of us, you, her, and…well, anyone else who wants to go."

"Right." Nico looked down and bit the inside of his mouth. He wanted to say something, Jason realized. Jason couldn't read bodies as well as Nico could, but the months they spent hanging out let Jason read the other boy better.

"You should go." The other half of Jason's smile twisted upward and he watched the other teen carefully. "It'll be the first holiday you guys get to spend together. This time of year is all about family. Besides—she seemed really excited about making shrimp gumbo. One of us has to go and tell her how delicious it is."

"So you're not going?"

Ah. "Sorry. No." Shaking his head, Jason's fingers curled against his bicep. Thanksgiving and Christmas technically weren't Roman holidays, but there was always a flood of halfbloods each year that were raised by their mortal parents with those celebrations. He already missed the Plebian Games and _Epulum Jovis. _While he considered the Fifth Cohort family, they all had some sort of siblings who consoled or kept them company. The most memorable Christmas he had was the first year Reyna came to Camp Jupiter, where he kept her company so being lonely was less unbearable. "I'm not really big on the holidays."

Evidently that was one characteristic Nico didn't expect. He made another face, his lips contorting. Jason could almost make out a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "Oh."

"But you should still go," Jason insisted. "She's your sister, the only family you have left. I want you to have fun."

He had no idea why Nico was upset at the thought of him not going. It was enough for Jason to change his mind, just to appease him—but with everything going on—Piper's judgment, Percy being there—Jason doubted he would've been good company. Still, Nico suddenly looked sick to his stomach.

"I think," the younger teen muttered, looking a little green, "I'm going to tell Hazel that I'm gay."

Pause. "Really?"

It was the first time Nico'd used the word since their run-in with Cupid. Since—ever. The word sounded foreign on Nico's tongue, almost intrusive. Saying it looked like it took a lot more effort than conjuring all of the shadows in the state of California.

The younger boy shifted the weight off his feet and stared at the ground. "She's my sister. She deserves to know. I. I want her to know."

"Do you want me to be there with you—?"

"No. Yes. I." Nico seethed and ducked his head. "I need to be alone with her so I can tell her, otherwise I might chicken out. But." This time his voice fell completely, his eyes flickering sullenly. Getting the words out right now was already hard enough on him.

"But?" Jason stood to his feet and placed himself beside the other boy.

Nico was shaking.

Gods.

"Hey. Hey," Jason said again. Biting the inside of his mouth, he reached out and gripped both of Nico's shoulders firmly. He brushed a finger beneath Nico's jaw line, forcing the younger teen to look up to him. An action like that would have been met with an immediate slap to the arm, but Nico was evidently too distraught to care.

Dark eyes looked up to him, their irises filled with the color of stone. For once they weren't the eyes of a mad genius—but of a very scared young man.

"If you're not ready to tell Hazel, it doesn't make you any lesser of a man. The fact is that you're thinking about it and that you _want_ to tell her." Jason squeezed the boy's shoulder and he parted his lips into a small smile. "Whatever you do decide, you're the bravest person that I know, Nico. Okay?"

A harsh breath tumbled out of Nico's lips. He looked down to the ground again, his shoulders shaking from nerves and fear to the point that the shadows of the room were dancing around with them. "I'm going to tell her."

"I'll be there with you."

"No. I." Nico grew quiet again and his gaze met Jason's, cheeks flushed with a mixture of green and red. "If it doesn't go as planned…I'd like to come here. To you."

_Oh_. "Are you sure?"

To his surprise, an anxious smile spread across Nico's face. The decision itself had drained Nico far too emotionally, but Jason knew this was the face of someone who wouldn't back down. A dark eyebrow rose in the air—and the signature look Jason was so used to seeing appeared on Nico's face. "Where else would I go?"

Jason's heart skipped a beat. It was so…_incredible_, how much Nico trusted him. Without another thought, he retrieved the small bowl next to his sleeping bag and extended it to the younger boy. "Here."

Looking at them skeptically, Nico's eyebrows raised beneath his hair. "Why?"

"Iris Message me as many times as you need to while you're there. I want you to be there for Hazel." Jason's eyes flickered with concern. "But if it gets to be too much, I'll fly to New Rome the first chance I have. I swear."

He'd been doing a lot of that lately. All of it was worth it, though. One look at Nico's demeanor and Jason knew he was making the right decision.

Long, meticulous fingers reached and wrapped around a singular coin. Nico's hand curled around it as though judging the weight of the drachma before he stuffed it in his pockets. From Nico's eyes, it was clear that the decision still scared him—but he wasn't shaking anymore.

"Thanks," the younger boy whispered. Looking Jason in the eye, he extended one of his own hands. "Thank you, Jason."

A smile graced Jason's lips. He shook Nico's hand without a second thought and gripped it firmly, taking in every bit he could about the younger teen. This entire visit had been about easing Nico's nerves—and hopefully, he did just that. Still, the younger teen looked ill at ease, like he wanted to talk some more.

"We can grab a bite to eat, if you want," the Son of Jupiter said. "We can talk about it some more if you want."

"Not right now. I have stuff to do." Shifting uncomfortably from converse-to-converse, Nico's eyes suddenly fell to the tips of his toes. Stuffing his hands back in his pockets, he shrugged. "How about in an hour?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jason smiled once more and crossed his arms. "I'll be waiting."

"Right." The younger boy nodded tensely. He hesitated—before stepping into a shadow and disappearing.

Ten minutes later found Jason sitting on his sleeping bag once more, with a spray bottle on one side of him and the prism and bowl of drachma on the other side. He tapped a coin to the floor board, with his heart leaping in his throat.

Finally, he took the plunge.

_If Nico could face his biggest fear, then Jason had no right to be nervous over this. _Right.

Wrapping his fingers around the squirt bottle, Jason gave the trigger three quick squeezes and tossed the drachma. "Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering."

The mist remained, a rainbow glittering in the setting sun while the coin disappeared.

Biting his lip, Jason forced himself to talk. "Show me Leo Valdez."

The tuft of mist shimmered with an assortment of colors before morphing into the shape of…a room. Jason made out curtained windows, with a pile of dirty clothes on the floor and textbooks on a desk that look like they'd never been touched in their lifetime.

Where was Leo?

Finally, the scene focused on a lump covered in the bed—

"_Jason_?"

"_Percy_?" Disbelief soaked Jason's words and he leaned forward, taking in the sight before him. From the looks of things, Jason had somehow Iris-Messaged Percy's room.

Sleepy sea green eyes watched him, with dark hair that stuck out in cowlicks. Percy rubbed the exhaustion out of his eyes and yawned before stretching. _"Hey. Didn't expect for you to call. What do you need?" _

"Well." Jason touched the back of his neck and felt weird. It wasn't possible for a goddess to be wrong about her job. Was it? "I meant to Iris Message Leo, but I guess…wrong number?"

The Son of Poseidon watched him from the other side of the Iris Message with bleary eyes. He scratched his belly and made smacking noises with his mouth like an old man. Clearly, Percy must have been in the middle of a fantastic night's sleep.

Then—out of nowhere, Percy tapped the lump beside him.

A head of familiar curls appeared from beneath the blanket, and Jason's heart stuttered. Leo.

For a moment, the pair was lost in their own little world. They exchanged tender looks, muttered quiet words to each other and touched each other gingerly by their shoulders. Not to mention that Percy'd been shirtless.

Just. _What?_

"_I'll give you two a minute."_ To Jason's surprise, Percy's tired eyes turned sour, giving the blond a harsh look. For Nico's sake, Jason almost did the same thing. They sized each other up without a verbal explanation. Jason had no idea why Percy would suddenly look to him like a nuisance—but he knew very well why _he'd_ give Percy the same look.

Finally, with one last meaningful look to Jason's best friend, Percy tore away from the bed. The quiet _click_ of the door let them know that Percy was gone.

"_Hey_," Leo said tiredly, drawing Jason out of his thoughts.

For the first time in three months, Jason got a good look of his best friend. The wistfulness was almost overbearing as he got a good look at Leo's face. Everything was the same—the same chocolate brown eyes, the same narrow face, and the same flurry of curls.

He had no idea how much he missed Leo. Until now.

The quirk in Leo's lips remained the same—like an X-Acto Knife carving precisely against a wooden board. His eyes simmered with the same embers of mischief—reminding Jason of the same kid on the bright yellow bus to the Grand Canyon.

Leo smiled, and Jason couldn't help but smile back. "Hey."


	3. Act III: The Sister

-x-

**Act III: **The Sister

-x-

_A symbol of Jupiter_.

That was Jason's first thought as he saw the large eagle circling the area with stunning poise. It was nowhere near the size of the giant eagles used in War Games back at camp, yet he knew better than to shrug it off. There was no way a bird like that would be circling Jason at a _Subway_ for forty minutes if it didn't want him to go somewhere.

So, after having lunch with a nervous Nico, wishing him good luck, and seeing the younger teen off (along with picking at his sandwich and knowing he'd be lonely for the next few days), Jason strapped his gladius over his back and threw the second half of his sandwich into the trashcan before taking flight after the bird.

As he continued toward it, the bird changed directions and soared north. They flew until they reached the outskirts of Los Angeles, landing on a long road near an elementary school. A frown contorted against his lips. Surveying the area, he found a street sign that looked something like, _Aegle Rokc Buoelvard._ Ugh—wait. Eagle Rock…something.

Okay. More eagles.

Sometimes help from the gods was like getting smacked in the face with a big _duh. _Other times they were so subtle that you wondered if the gods were ever there at all.

"Jason!"

Jason cocked his head. He heard his name—but didn't know the voice.

The elementary school was small—one story high and spread out into separate buildings that probably indicated grades. The playground was fenced off, with what looked like kindergarteners running around like maniacs on the jungle gym.

He saw two kids in particular: a big brother and a little sister. One looked maybe nine or ten, the other four or five—both with the same eyes and same floppy head of curls.

The other Jason fell to his knees and scooped the little girl into his arms, despite how big she was. "Did you hurt yourself, sissy?"

The little girl trembled and sniffled, immediately burying her face into her elder brother's shoulder. On instinct, the older brother dug into his back pocket and pulled out a bandaid. They went to a nearby bench—one that was closest to Jason himself, and the boy gingerly set her down.

"I fell," she sniffled.

"You did! You klutz!" the younger Jason broke into a near-pompous smirk. Still—he peeled apart the bandaid and older Jason could make out the faintest image of Barbie on the surface. "Here, lemme fix it."

Wow. How many ten-year-old brothers were nice enough to carry Barbie bandaids on hand for their little sisters?

As he watched the girl's face light up, Jason's fingers fell to the corner of his lip where he had his infamous staple scar. Thalia had told him the story plenty of times—Mom's personal assistant was babysitting them at her apartment. 'Ms. Stacy' called them _stupid_ _brats_, and left them in the living room while she went to do paperwork. While Thalia and 'Ms. Stacy' argued and shouted at each other, Jason had found a stapler—thought it was food—and pressed the cold metal down on his lip. Hard.

Apparently, Thalia said with a quiet chuckle, there was a lot of hysteria. It was the only time Thalia and 'that _wench'_ got along while they cleaned up the blood. Jason spent the whole night giggling and getting his blood everywhere.

"Getting flashbacks?"

Now that was a voice that Jason knew.

Whirling around, he almost lost his footing when Thalia pounced on him. He lifted her up in a bear hug and laughed. "Thalia! What are you doing here?"

"I'm guessing the same reason you were." Thalia grinned and motioned upward with her hand where the eagle had flown. Her hair had grown longer since the last time they met, with the silver circlet emitting a sheen in her dark spikes. She wore her leather jacket, her signature bracelet that turned into her signature shield, Aegis, and held a quiver filled with silver bows that were no doubt a gift from Artemis.

Jason's heart pumped four beats a second. But despite his excitement, both siblings' eyes hardened. "We both followed Dad's symbol. You know what that means."

"The hunters won't be happy," Thalia replied. She made a face and stroked her chin thoughtfully, before looking at Jason. "I need your help."

"Name it."

"Someone had the audacity to steal Artemis's symbol of power. Her bow." Thalia's face twisted and her eyes suddenly lit up with anger. "My hunters are suddenly split up all on the western side of the United States trying to find the perp, but no luck so far. We may have tracked them down somewhere near the Rockies, but searching by foot could take days." She tapped her chin again. "Maybe that's why I was sent to find you."

"Makes sense. I can make rounds around the mountain area," Jason agreed. His blood tingled with excitement as Thalia spoke. Despite how angry she was, he couldn't wait to work with her again.

"But what on Gaia are you doing in Cali of all places?" Thalia's nose wrinkled and she looked up to her brother with confusion. "I thought you said you were planning on staying at Camp Halfblood after the war."

"I did. But. It's—well, it's a long story."

"Right. For another time." Thalia's demeanor flashed with anger again. "When I find the _chump_ who thought they could get away with stealing my lady's bow, I'll…" Her fingers crackled with electricity.

"I understand," Jason said. He grinned. "I'm in."

"Now all we need to do is—"

"On it." Without another word, Jason scooped his sister up by her waist and took flight. Her voice split into the most girly scream he ever heard and she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

"Jason," she shouted, "I'm going to fucking _kill _you—fuck, fuck, fuck—_don't look away, dammit!_"

A laugh fluttered out of Jason's lips and he couldn't help but grin as another round of curses left Thalia's mouth. Maybe he wouldn't be lonely for Thanksgiving after all. "Love you too, sis."

-x-

The truth was, Jason envied Thalia. He heard the stories from Annabeth, Percy, and Thalia herself, but they never constructed a vivid picture as the one he got when he saw her in action. If Jason had a mastery over the winds, Thalia was powerful with her electricity. She glowed with moonlight in the darkest of caves, radiating with the power of Artemis and as a descendant of Zeus. One glimpse at her eyes said it all—how much she adored being the lieutenant for her lady, and how it was the best thing for her. Well—once they landed.

(In between that was another assortment of words that weren't child-friendly and the occasional charge directed at Jason's neck. Luckily those weren't very effective.)

The more north they flew, the more Jason regretted that he didn't bring a jacket. The Hunters begrudgingly lent one to him, adorned in silver and a bountiful amount of hidden pockets that had enough room to store the world's food supply. Even with the fact he was Thalia's brother, they gave him snide looks when she wasn't looking.

However—it was clear that they respected her as their superior. The hunters followed Thalia's instinct without smart remarks and she was open to their input, giving them an affectionate slap on the shoulder and a toothy grin when she liked the idea.

The way she acted reminded Jason of Percy. Before Percy and he had ever met, Annabeth had described her ex-boyfriend (back then, current) just the way she described Thalia—and they bickered all the time because of it. Witty, sarcastic. Percy definitely had more _seaweed _in his head than an actual _brain_, Annabeth said bitterly one day when she missed him especially, and sometimes Thalia's pride could make her blind from other, _safer _alternatives.

Last winter, the amnesiac Jason found out the answers to questions he'd been asking himself for fourteen years. Why he was an orphan, what happened to his mother—_who_ brought him to the Wolf House. Why would someone leave him to fend against wolves at the age of two. When Thalia described their mother to him a year ago, he was left feeling unsettled and upset. His father pleaded for their mom to name him _Jason_, just to appease his wife, and never looked at them again. Their mother was unstable and reckless until she drove herself to her own death.

Thalia was able to get away from it. She left her life with their mother behind as the Daughter of Zeus and paved her way now as the lieutenant to Artemis's Hunters. She was so much more _together_, while Jason was left to sort out his feelings about his birth to the age of two.

Everything else about their mother was locked away beneath Thalia's silver circlet and memories, where Jason wasn't allowed access. And somehow all of those unsaid secrets made her stronger.

Jason's sister was a leader. She was the shining example of one of Zeus's children, the proud leader of the hunters, and _still_ knew who she _was_. Even with the white-silver parkas, Jason could see the punk leather jacket sticking out from beneath, along with her tattered black jeans and the words, '_Shut up or Die' _stitched to her knee.

Yeah. Jason was envious. But most of all, he was _proud. _

_I just wish we didn't lose all that time together_, he thought to himself as he watched her discuss plans with her hunters on the other side of the fire. A smile remained lax across his lips, watching her animate with a plethora of emotion. He'd felt that same charisma discussing things with Dakota or Reyna at the Forum back at New Rome.

They'd settled in an open cave in the northern Rockies—somewhere near the United States and Canada border, but not close enough, according to Phoebe. Artemis had apparently gone in search for her brother—neither of them willing to show mercy to the perp. There was no telling what the motive was. And—if they were on the brink of another war, than there'd be plenty pissed off demigods that would want to tell the world to "can it." (Jason remarked that those sounded like words Percy would say. Thalia snorted and rolled her eyes.)

A chill fluttering through the cave reminded Jason how impulsive he'd been agreeing to help Thalia. Guilt kept his heart beating, and the two drachma he had in his pockets suddenly grew heavy. Right about now Nico was probably in the same room as all of the others, watching Hazel's smile light up the world and squeezing the insides of his jacket to calm his nerves.

He wanted so _badly_ to go with the other demigod—but knew Nico was dead set on telling Hazel himself. Hopefully it would go over well.

"I remember the first time I met you again was in a cave."

Jason snapped out of his thoughts as Thalia's voice rushed through his ears. He looked up to her and gratefully took the mug full of hot cocoa from her hands. Around them, hunters started pulling out sleeping bags for the night, lying down row-by-row to share body warmth. The wolves sniffed around them all in search for a comfortable spot before nestling tight to their respective hunter.

From the way things looked, Jason would be sleeping nearest to the cave opening along with his sister. "I think you scared the crap out of me that day."

"I tend to do that," she said with a wry smirk. Plopping down next to him, they _clank_ed mugs and took three big gulps each. Her wolf trekked over, paws clicking into the hard rock of the cave before it settled at their feet.

"I was more excited than I was scared," Jason confessed as his kinda-of older sister smiled again. It was hard to wrap his mind around the idea that he would grow older while Thalia would still look this beautiful in a hundred years. "That entire winter, it was like…I found out that I wasn't alone in the world. I have a sister and she's already accomplished so many things, and she's—she's amazing." Putting down his mug, Jason reached over and curled a hand over his sister's. His gaze flashed with pride and he smiled. "_You're_ amazing, Thal."

"Thanks." The edge of her lip curled into a tired smirk and she squeezed back before leaning against him. "You weren't paying attention during that debriefing. Were you?"

"Ergh…no. My mind was on other things. Sorry." Jason bit the inside of his mouth, suddenly sheepish. "But I got the gist of it. Don't worry—I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," she replied. "Tell me then, Jace. What were you thinking about?"

Too many things. "Our family, for one thing. You, me, Dad…and Mom." He watched in the glow of the fire as Thalia's eyes sparked with a forewarning. "But mostly you and me. Just—how many years we've lost because we were on other sides of the continent."

"Ah." Thalia nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "Trust me. If I could get all of those years back…if it was just you and me, Jace, I'd do it. I would have taken you with me."

"But our mom—"

"_Mom_ had no right to take you away from me. From us." Thalia cut him off. "If she had any mercy she would have stepped away from the booze and _tried. _She would have realized the dangers of having both me _and _you and understood that we needed to be safe. She would have gotten help."

"What if she did?" Jason protested. He spent a great amount of time laying in his sleeping bag back in LA trying to imagine their mother's face. Her smile. Something about her that made her seem…human. "What if she tried?"

"Then she'd still be alive if it worked." _And maybe I would have hated her less_, was the sentence that Thalia left out, with a bitter silence. She set her mug down and sat with a palpable distance between them.

For a moment, Jason thought he'd done the stupidest thing of all and angered his sister. Instead, Thalia's eyes flickered again, less annoyed at their mother and more inquisitive.

"So," she said with a lighter heart, "you going to tell your big sister what you were doing in nasty, smoggy Los Angeles?"

Uh.

Thalia arched an eyebrow—reminding Jason of every look Nico'd ever given him, but warmer.

Thus, with a hesitant heart, Jason explained his situation as carefully as possible. How after the war, it didn't seem fit to him to stay in New Rome, nor could he settle with being in Long Island again. Nothing made him happy—and it kind of annoyed him how Percy was nonchalant about the whole ordeal. He broke up with Piper ("Uhuh, uhuh. Does she want to join the Hunters?" "I…don't know?" "Damn."), how…he hoped being with Leo would make him feel complete ("The Christmas elf?" "You think so too?"), until he finally found something that could actually steady him. Nico.

"Why?" Thalia frowned—but to Jason's satisfaction, it wasn't like the aghast look Piper had given him two months ago. (They hadn't kept in touch since then, unfortunately. Piper's reaction bothered him too much.)

"Because no one else cared enough to find him." Producing a half smile, Jason wasn't sure how to react. He knew based off of other people that this could go either way. Everyone at the Forum had given him weird looks the first time Jason asked if Nico'd stopped by. Piper was probably still against the idea. If Leo knew, Jason couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't go off on the Son of Hephaestus again if he made a snide comment about di Angelo. "The guy goes from both camps to the Underworld on a regular basis, but the only person he actually cares for is Hazel."

"And Bianca," Thalia said. Suddenly her entire expression morphed, thoughtful.

Right. "She was a hunter before you became one, right?"

"And died before I became one too," she muttered—carrying the same sour tone Percy did when Jason asked for backstory at the beginning of the summer. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, Thalia shook her head in dismay and looked to the light of the fire. "Don't be mistaken, Jace. The di Angelo siblings had a lot of baggage on their shoulders long before Percy, Annabeth, and I met them. The Lotus Hotel, the Great Prophecy…all of it.

"Finding out you're a halfblood and that you can make something of yourself is a strong desire. Bianca became a hunter because she thought Nico finally had a safe place at Camp Halfblood. When she died, she died for him. Percy and I thought it was selfish back then—especially when we went out of our way to bring them to Camp Halfblood and lost Annabeth at the same time—but she loved Nico to bits.

"That kid doesn't have it easy. None of the Big Three do. Percy was the Child of the Prophecy and you and I are the son and daughter of Zeus's Greek and Roman half. We're _powerful_. But if you think about it, no one looks at death and despair and admires its power. They're too busy cowering in fear. Personally, gods willing, I would have taken him under my wing if he showed me half the affection that he did Percy all those years ago."

"Guh," was all Jason could say without revealing too much more.

From the corner of her gaze, Thalia eyed him and smiled sadly. "Seeing them together reminded me of you. We do have that in common, after all."

It was rare for a god to find a human that interested them—but even rarer, that they would show their face twice to birth a second child. Thalia was right, in that sense. Just thinking about losing Thalia in the way Nico'd lost Bianca made him queasy. Jason could only imagine how Thalia felt when he was given away.

"I'm glad one of us has the common sense to take care of him, Jace." Thalia raised her hand and they fist bumped. "Kudos."

"Thanks." Jason let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He didn't know what to expect based off of Thalia's earlier reaction—but it was definitely better than anything he imagined. "I just…wish I could figure out myself _half_ as well as you did, Thal. You make it look so easy."

Thalia snorted. She gulped down the rest of her drink and set it aside. Her upper lip gleamed with hot cocoa, eyes suddenly clouding over with what looked like…heartbreak. "I was in a tight spot when I made the decision to be a hunter. The boy that I trusted with my life had grown into this…_mad_ and _insane _thing that wanted to overthrow the gods. He did it because he thought it was what I wanted, but it wasn't. The prophecy was on my shoulders, and this girl, Zoe…she was the bravest hunter I knew. Maybe I was too emotional when I made the decision to serve at Artemis's side, but I've never regretted it. I can swear on the River Styx on that."

"How did Dad feel?"

Another strange look twisted across Thalia's demeanor and she halfheartedly shrugged. Her smile was a mixture of Percy's wit and Nico's calm ire. "He was shocked, but gods can't directly interfere with their children's lives. All they can do is grab some popcorn and watch us on Hephaestus TV. Maybe throw us a bone or a sponsor gift if they want us to win. If we're too afraid to make the decision we want to make, then we'll look at it like it's the wrong decision."

That sounded familiar. "Nico said something like that once."

"Yeah? Well, he's a good kid, despite what satyrs and nymphs get their whitey-tidies in a bunch about." Thalia elbowed him in the arm, with an amused eyebrow arched in the air. "Jace. I can't boss you around. But I can tell you that you should do what you want. Figure out how to do that, and I'll call you a bonehead for it later when you tell me what you want to do in life. That's what big sisters are for."

"Technically—"

"No technicalities. I changed your diapers. That's a job even _Dad_ can't handle."

Something inside Jason lifted—as though Atlas no longer had to hold the weight of the sky in his chest. He looked to his sister, mesmerized as she whipped out two sleeping bags. Her wolf whined like a puppy, ready for her comfort, and settled happily on her bag.

Every single word she just spoke bristled through his mind with a chill, and suddenly he was on air again.

Thalia approved of Nico.

"You really are the best sister ever." Jason couldn't figure out why he was so…content.

Another smile curled across her lips, looking like a smirk more than anything else, and her eyes twinkled at the compliment as she winked. "Get some rest, Jace. We've got a long journey ahead of us."

-x-

Oh gods.

"_**JASON**__!" _

Oh, _gods_.

"_Jason—no, no—I'll…I'll kill you, you are going to wish you didn't have to deal with me! I'll KILL YOU."_

In retrospect, Jason couldn't think of a more honorable way to die.

His last moments of consciousness recalled the events leading up to getting pierced in the chest by his sister's spear. They spent three days hiking up and north of the Rockies. Thalia and hunters alike reported nightmares and hearing demonic voices as they made plans about the bow. The longer their journey took, the more anxious and angry everyone got. They settled a dispute between satyrs that lived on the US-Canada border (as they debated about fruit falling in Canada even though the tree grew in the United States) and helped some distraught nymphs that lit the way toward their current whereabouts.

Which…were too…f…oggy for Jason to re…member right…now…

Laistrygonian Giants.

They'd stolen Artemis's bow while she was asleep, planning to give it to…a new master…(what was his…her…name…?) and they broke out into…war...fare…Thalia had…whipped out her shield, Aegis, and some giants whimpered in fear—but…they stole her sphere. Right…before throwing her off the cliff.

Jason acted on…instinct, swerving to catch his fear-stricken sister. He saw the celestial bronze sphere from the corner of his eye, aimed at her head, and turned in time—only to get the sharp thing through his shoulder blade.

After that, he had no control of his body.

The pain was like getting skinned to the bone by a dull dagger. The point of the spear ripped between the ridges of taut skin, with at least a foot of it penetrating through Jason's shoulder. He'd maneuvered Thalia so that she took none of the blow—and then they both went free-falling.

The back of his head hit a rock hard, with red flashing in his vision. His only thought was: don't let go of Thalia. She was screaming in his arms—over, and over, his name—and suddenly, something grabbed him. He heard the voice of a goddess, but not the words.

Was the battle over? Did they win? Was that Artemis? Was…?

"Thalia," he choked, with his vision going black. Something warm and wet was hitting his forehead, mixing with the crimson in his eyelashes. He was…laying down…now…

"We need ambrosia! Every last bit of it! Take the spear out—take it _out!_"

"No," someone said. The calmest of their bunch. "He'll end up bleeding to death before he could gobble down enough ambrosia."

"And if we _don't_ take it out, his body is going to heal _around it_. Or he'll _die. M'lady_!"

"No," he whispered. Jason choked—something warm was on the back of his tongue. "Too many…fallen hunters…they need it more than I do."

"Jace—"

"Thalia." Jason's voice cut through his own daze. He…f-focused…on his sister as much as he could—or the red blob, at least, that he h-hoped was his sister. "S…saved…y…you. Couldn't think of…a better way to go…think of your hunters. Please." _Think of your comrades._

Silence. All Jason could hear was the ringing in his own ears.

"My Lady—please, he's dying. He's my brother, I can't—I can't leave him. He's all I have—"

"_Thalia_," Jason hissed with the last of his breath. "Think of your _hunters_, or I'm n-never going to _forgive you for_—"

"He's not dying yet."

At this point, Jason knew he was losing it. He heard voices, but not words, and felt pressure, yet couldn't feel _touch. _He caught one word in the flurry and felt trembling arms around him. Who? Who? What were they saying?

_Shadowtravel. _

"Shut up," a rough voice said to him—one that tried to sound tough but was obviously cracking. "Stop being an idiot, Jason, I-I swear to god—"

Jason didn't even realize he was talking.

He swore, the last voice he heard in his death-stricken delusion, was that of Nico di Ange…


	4. INTERMISSION

-x-

**Intermission**

-x-

Nico had nightmares. He couldn't remember the last time he had a good night's sleep since Bianca's death—but he had nightmares. Every night. They only got worse, when things got bad. And when he showed up at the Rockies—things had gotten bad.

The Son of Hades never wanted to be a dependent person. He tried not to be, since Bianca's passing—but knew that it was only a hopeless desire. She was right—holding grudges was the fatal flaw of any Children of Hades. So when Jason Grace extended a hand the _second_ he found out about Nico's secret, Nico knew another grudge was swelling in his chest—one that hurt him so hard that it made it difficult to breathe. But the difference was, Grace tried a second time—and that was where Nico went from suppressing his grudge to not having it at all.

He didn't want a dependent relationship on Jason—he really didn't. But Grace was the type of a person who was loyal to his comrades and his words. (He wouldn't shut _up_ about comrades until the doctors gave him a sedative, Nico thought bitterly.)

When it came down to Thanksgiving—this _stupid_ holiday—Nico knew it was time. He wanted to tell Hazel. Needed to. They were close siblings—and telling her meant he trusted Hazel with more than anything. If he had the chance, he would have told Bianca too. (But Bianca knew, Nico decided. She knew every time Nico sought her out.)

In the long run, whether Hazel's reaction was good or bad, Nico entertained the thought of going back to Jason's shabby apartment and spending the rest of the evening over there. It was the only thing that motivated him—all he needed to do was tell Hazel that he was…_that_, and then he could go to Jason. Not Camp Halfblood, not Camp Jupiter—not even the Underworld. He wasn't wandering. He knew where he'd be going.

Then the nightmares happened.

"I saw him with you," Nico muttered as an explanation, after the hysteria settled down. The last fifteen hours were absolute torture—from when Nico instinctively shadowtraveled to Jason's location (he didn't even have the site in mind—he just thought of Jason. _Jason._) and saw him…_covered in blood_…to shadowtraveling to New Rome's hospital, ran by several legacies and adults descended from Apollo.

The word had gotten out: Jason, Son of Jupiter and ex-praetor to the Twelfth Legion, was injured. Stabbed in the chest _literally_ by his sister's spear.

When that part became clear, Thalia brewed a storm so dangerous that lightning struck campgrounds. Nico'd never been so _grateful_ that Annabeth Chase was there to calm down her best friend—and was annoyed that a strike of lightning missed Octavian by a few inches.

Right now, they sat in the waiting room while Jason was to be worked on in the ER. Nico was never comfortable at a hospital. He knew no one wanted _death_ to show up here and ignored the uncomfortable looks he'd received from nurses and attendants alike. He'd be on his way, waiting as far away as possible to avoid the looks—if it weren't for Thalia grabbing him by the arm.

They sat in a secluded corner at her tired, tear-stricken request. No one argued with a Child of Zeus when she was pissed off.

"At first I thought nothing of it—I just…knew it meant I needed to keep my guard up. Then I kept hearing voices," Nico said. He recalled all of his nightmares in the past three days; the ones that kept him awake at night. Jason dying. Jason falling, even though he could fly. "And then I kept seeing him with the spear. One piercing him. And then just today, I could hear it. His heart beat fading."

It was a curse and a gift as a Child of Hades—knowing when someone's time passed. He had no idea that it could still happen, even with the distance Jason was at.

"And the moment I felt it, I came," Nico muttered. "I knew I had to get to you guys as soon as possible, otherwise he would die."

"I don't like hearing those words," Thalia said with a rough voice. "Not from you." Her eyes were swollen with tears, with nails digging against her gloved hands. Her face had said it all, guilt-stricken that her weapon was the one to penetrate her little brother. Nico's stomach churned at the thought.

"I should probably get going—"

"No." Thalia latched on to his arm before Nico had the chance to escape. His first instinct told him to run—and yet he couldn't help but bitterly muse that Thalia had the same grip as Jason did. She looked to him, with red-blue eyes and sniffled. "You saved my brother by bringing him here. You stay."

"I didn't…exactly save him—"

"You did better than I could've," she protested.

Nico fell silent. He did so tangibly, unsure of what he could say to lull her. If Bianca were here, she would have known the right words to comfort Thalia. If Hazel were here, she'd know what words to spin.

(Just goes to show—no one gave you looks if Death had a pretty face.)

"He told me you've been taking care of him since he went off to Los Angeles," the Hunter said. Her gaze narrowed to him—bold and a little intimidating, but broken. He knew it'd been said before, but even being fully related, Thalia and Jason barely looked alike. Her hair was dark—black, chopped up in several layers like bolts of lightning. She was more olive toned while Jason was fair, with an assortment of dark freckles at the bridge of her nose. Even their eyes were different shades of blue—where Jason's were a warm sky blue, Thalia's were harsh and hot like shocks of electricity.

And yet somehow—it was a gesture like grabbing Nico's arm or her tone of voice as she talked to him calmly—that made it clear they were siblings.

"It's really him that's been doing all of the caring," Nico muttered. A cruel chuckle threatened to fall from the back of his throat. He thought back to September, where he was now ashamed that he'd gone up to Jason Grace's place for the first time and _played_ _along_ with the idea of someone actually _accepting _him. "He's my friend."

"Bianca would have liked him."

Usually Nico's first instinct was to glare at anyone who mentioned his late sister's name. Just—what was it about the Grace siblings that made them think it was _okay_ to mention her? Instead, Nico's eyes wetted with the beginnings of tears since the cave and he smiled bitterly. "She would have _loved_ him."

He couldn't control death. That wasn't how his powers worked. He could sense it _when _it happened, _how_ it happened—but actually _doing _it?

Never in his life did he feel more useless than he did now.

It never occurred to Nico how rarely he cried. When that happened, it was like all of the emotion that'd welled up since the previous time pouring out of his eyes like a waterfall, and it took forever to stop.

Jason was dying.

It wasn't enough that the only person who ever cared for him had been taken away by the Fates, but the next person to actually _try_…to see Nico as more than just a person on the same team—_his_ life was being taken away, too.

_I just can't have my way_, Nico thought bitterly. Of course, he never did to begin with. That was the understatement of the century.

Out of nowhere, he felt an arm wrap around him. Thalia traded seats to sit beside him and hugged him close. Bianca would have been around the same age, he realized. If she never took the oath to Artemis. Just a few weeks shy of sixteen.

"I don't like being touched," the Son of Hades grumbled—but he couldn't conjure the animosity he wanted.

"Neither do I," she agreed, to his surprise. She let out a sour, empty laugh, and for the first time, Nico realized maybe he wasn't so different from everyone after all. "I just really need a hug right now."

Nico thought it wise to comply.

Then like rocket fire, everyone stormed through the doors of the waiting room: Chase, Reyna, Zhang, McLean, and most importantly, Hazel. He caught sight of his sister, who barged in hand-in-hand with Zhang before charging toward him. Nico winced. The past three days had been filled with Nico watching Hazel exchange stories and smiles with everyone else in their group of "comrades," and Nico hiding in the corner. He had a feeling Hazel knew he was uncomfortable—and leaving first thing after his nightmare about Jason almost a day earlier probably didn't help their relationship.

"Sorry, Hazel, I—"

She pounced him, nearly choking Nico in her hold while Frank stood nearby, helpless. "You have nothing to be sorry about—I-I just wish you told me what was going on, I would have come, we would have helped—" Hazel buried her face in his neck and trembled.

Nico gulped. Beside him, he could hear Chase whisper Thalia's name, rich with emotion before they collided into hugs and sobs of their own.

"What took you guys so long?" Thalia asked. She wiped the last of her tears away and smiled tiredly. The latter action took all the effort she could muster.

"Word got out about Jason's injury," Chase explained, with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. "Hard to miss when you show up in the middle of camp looking for the hospital. The entrance is buzzing with people wondering if he's okay. Everyone. The Five Cohorts—the entire legion, the past legionnaires. _Everyone. _Even people from Camp Halfblood have arrived.Piper had to charmspeak the guard in letting us through."

To that, Nico couldn't help but glare at both girls, like they were _blaming_ him for making a scene in effort to seek help. Chase always irritated him. She was a fierce battler and knew what she was talking about—but her voice bugged him to no end. (Along with other reasons, Nico mused cruelly, but he didn't want to get into that.) Then there was McLean—who Nico knew meant well, but who was the most obvious about her discomfort—

"You did a good thing, Nico." The said Daughter of Aphrodite pulled him out of his thoughts. A flicker of hesitation flashed over her kaleidoscope eyes before she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for bringing him here."

What.

"You did." Chase came over, and without the same reluctance, placed a hand over his shoulder. She smiled warily. "If it weren't for you, Jason would've been a goner."

_What. _

"All I did was get him here," Nico said dazedly. This wasn't happening. There was no way. As an afterthought, he added, "I don't like being touched."

Chase let go a second later, but the weary smile remained.

_**What? **_

"Just because I got him here doesn't mean he's going to live." If anything, what if Nico'd gotten Jason here _too late_? What if Jason was going to _die_ because Nico didn't act on his dreams sooner? Why were they—why were they _applauding him_? "And we didn't get to eat Hazel's turkey."

"We can have the turkey another time. When Jason wakes up," Hazel declared. She kissed him on the cheek and latched onto her brother's arm, who'd long grown numb from shock.

"Props, man." And finally, Zhang's usual nervousness was replaced with a big smile. He raised a hand, and Nico hesitantly fistbumped his sister's boyfriend.

"All I did," Nico repeated, "was get him here."

"Yeah," Thalia said, with her voice cutting through them like lightning through the clouds. She turned away from her conversation with Reyna, and smiled at him tiredly. "You got him here, Nico. Just—gods, take the compliments like a man." She took a breath. "And whatever happens, I owe you my life for trying."

Nico fell silent. This time he had no rebuttal.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hazel's smile fade as her eyes met the ER door. Getting here was only half the challenge. Now they had to wait the countless hours until someone would actually _talk_ to them.

Once Thalia told the story, the tears were imminent. Nico forced himself to blink the ones away while others clung to her words. Jason had been on a quest with Thalia and the other hunters to find Artemis's bow. They'd gone up north the Rockies (the Rockies? Was that where Nico shadowtraveled?), locked in a battle with Laistrygonian Giants, when one took Thalia by the spear and flung her off a cliff. Jason had swerved—soaring to catch her the instant she screamed, and the next thing they both know, the same spear that Thalia'd lost was suddenly piercing her brother.

Nico came just in time, and Artemis granted Thalia's wish to stay near her brother for the time being. Some girl named Phoebe would take up Thalia's duties until she returned.

The mood worsened with everyone drowning in tears. In any other situation, the halfblood in question would be dead. No amount of ambrosia could be given to someone in that timespan to heal the wound without causing the demigod to fall sick and feverish. Jason was doomed to bleed to death in any of the outcomes.

But he wasn't dead yet, Nico thought stubbornly to himself. The moment that happened, he knew time would stop.

"We've got the best medics working here, in New Rome," Reyna said suddenly. She squeezed Chase's hand, but it was clear she was trying best to keep her sanity. After all—she'd once worked with Jason. Not only that, but he considered her his best friend before Hera messed with them. "If Jason has any chance of surviving, it's here."

And that was the last thing said. They all held heavy breaths. All that was left to do was wait.

Another hour passed in silence, and they waited at the edge of their seats. No matter the demeanor Nico held, it was _killing_ him inside. Another hour meant another hour that Jason was still alive—but more time, where his fate was inconclusive. Nico wanted to know if Jason was alive or dead—and if it was the latter, then he was willing to wait out the rest of eternity.

Hazel remained next to him the entire time, their hands bound tight together. A pang of anxiety shot Nico through the heart.

"Go sit next to Frank." He reached over and kissed her on the cheek. "I know you want to."

She frowned—like the words were a caffeinated drink that jumpstarted her brain. "But—"

"It's okay," Nico cut her off. "I'll be fine." Since she arrived, he knew Hazel wanted to ask what he'd been doing in the Rocky Mountains—but right now wasn't the time to tell her. His gut twisted—knowing he was only using that as an excuse. She knew something was there between Jason and him since September, but the extent of it opened up all of the doors in Nico's heart, and…without Jason…

Well. He'd cross that bridge when he got there.

The smile on her tear-stricken face was surreal. She gave him a quick hug before untangling herself from Nico's side and wandering over to Frank, who'd taken a seat next to the Twelfth Legion's other Praetor. Hazel glowed in the way she always did when she was at Zhang's side—like the brightest gem in the darkest cave.

Biting the inside of his lip, Nico ignored how cold he felt. _I'll be fine. _

-x-

Another hour, another sixty minutes without confirmation of any sort. Chase lay on Reyna's lap, knocked out as the Roman ran fingers through blond curls. (Nico would question the empathy of that later.) McLean sat across from Hazel and Zhang, who had a protective arm wrapped around Nico's sister. And Thalia—she watched, as Nico tapped his skull rings against an end table.

It was noon the next day—seventeen hours and twenty minutes since Nico got the Son of Jupiter to the hospital. He tried not to let it show on his face—but even Thalia was crackling with impatience. She'd shocked him four times now just from a brush on the shoulder.

Neither one of them were meant to sit still this long. It was the ADHD keeping them aware. Nico only wondered what McLean was feeling, considered she once dated the guy.

"Can you at least feel his heartbeat?" Thalia asked quietly, to keep from rousing the others awake.

Nico tersely shook awake. He tried not to let the distraught show on his face—but quickly understood Thalia wouldn't let him hide anything. "Honestly I don't feel like I could focus long enough to find it."

"But—"

"But if he passes," Nico said, and his voice cracked, "I'll know."

She fell silent after that. Thalia leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees and pressed her hands against her mouth. "So he's still alive."

"That word isn't as pleasant as you think," he muttered darkly. Stormy blue eyes glared at him cruelly. "I'll shut up now."

He wanted to say death was inevitable—but even that wasn't certain. Nico thought of the old hag Fates with their knitting needles and balls of yarn. He thought of his father, and—well, wondered if he was the right god to pray to right now.

_Please let him live, Dad. _Hades—who _wouldn't_ he pray to right about now?

Settling on a rhythm with his rings, Nico let out a quiet breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

_Please don't take him away from me. _

Finally, the two-door entrance of the ER opened with an eerie creak. Will Solace wandered through—dressed in scrubs and covered in blood. Jason's blood. Nico had to do a double take before he remembered word around camp that Solace dreamed of being a doctor.

Thalia and he stood to their feet at the same time. She looked over to him and he cut her off.

"Go." Nico placed a hand on her shoulder for emphasis while the others slowly stirred.

"Jason's doing better," Solace announced. "He'll live." A collective sigh of relief filled the room—including Nico's. Suddenly those blue eyes were focused on the young Son of Hades in particular. "He wasn't in good condition when you brought him here, di Angelo, but you brought him just in time."

"So what happened?" Thalia asked, demanding his attention once more. "Can I see him?"

"You can." The Son of Apollo held up a hand as everyone stood to their feet. "But not all of you. Not all at once. We have three doctors singing hymns to him right now so his body's healing. Extracting the spear was a hefty task."

"But?" Her voice thickened, hands curling into fists. Nico could see the beginning of new tears in her eyes.

"But we got it." He placed hands on her shoulders and smiled tiredly. Judging by the bags around his eyes, he'd been working all of those seventeen hours. "The spear is shattered. We sawed it in half so we could pull it out of him more easily. Grace—ah, sorry, Thalia—your brother's lucky. His lung was punctured, but it pierced straight between his ribs and missed his spinal cord. He took a pretty bad blow to the head, but we've bandaged up every injury. Once he wakes up we can do a full assessment on him."

"So…" Her voice trailed off and Thalia hugged herself. "Will he make a full recovery?"

"He lost a lot of blood, Thalia." Blond eyebrows contorted on his sun-kissed face, but he nodded regardless. "But he should. We've got liquids flowing through him for the time being and some liquid ambrosia that should help the healing process. With the gods on our side, everything will be okay."

"Everything will be okay," she repeated. Thalia let out a heavy breath. In that instant, Nico curled a hand on her shoulder once more—and he realized for the first time that he'd walked up to her without noticing. Her entire resolve crumpled—tears swelling in blue eyes and lips twisted into a crooked line. She wiped them away with the back of her palm, voice cracking. "Um…c-can I see him now?"

"_Yes_," Will said back, and he smiled tiredly for her. "Please. Right this way. I'll let the rest of you know when he's stable enough for all of you to come."

"You coming Nico?"

_What? _Hearing those words knocked the breath out of Nico. He watched the fierce hunter crumple for the umpteenth time that morning into a crying mess, feeling just as disheveled. After everything they'd been through, Thalia was still smiling through her tears. She offered her other hand to him, blatantly ignoring the fact she was crying.

Thalia wanted Nico in the room with her.

Looking around for everyone else's approval, he saw them welling up with tears again. They all looked to him—either surprised or tired, but not angered.

_Hell_, he thought. Why not?

After a second of hesitation, Nico reached forward and grabbed Thalia's hand. They looped their fingers together and walked down the corridor behind Solace.

As she squeezed his fingers, he couldn't help but think: _Thank you, Father. _

The room was painted with an assortment of colors and scores of music, with Latin that read as hymns to Apollo. Suns, lyres, laurel wreaths, bows and arrows, and other symbols of the Sun God were either painted or adorned the room in the form of sculptures, pictures, stuffed animals, and other things. What the pair focused on, however, was the hospital bed where their fallen Son of Jupiter laid.

Surrounded by three doctors, they were struck with the melody of the same hymns painted along the walls. Jason's torso was covered by thick bandages, shrouding the injury to those around him. His face was red—stained with dried blood, but it was clear that they tried to clean him up as best as possible. Both cheeks were swollen, with a dark, purple-reddish sanguine that bulged in his gray cheeks, and a head wrap framed his skull.

"I think he looked prettier in the blood," Thalia muttered under her breath.

Nico snorted. "You don't really mean that."

"I don't." Thalia pulled up a chair from an unnoticed corner once the doctors were done with their hymn and placed it as close to the bed as possible. Pulling the leather gloves off her hands, she thumbed Jason's breast gently—no doubt imaging the hole her spear had caused. Her gaze turned to Solace—who Nico'd forgotten was in the room. "I want to stay until he wakes up."

Solace looked ready to protest—but one look from the Daughter of Zeus kept him from doing so. "I'll make sure food gets sent up here."

"And I want di Angelo to stay with me."

That was where Solace looked ready to rebuttal. "Thalia—"

"He stays." She flashed him one more withering look, blue eyes electrifying. "I don't care about the others. He saved my brother, and I want him here with me."

"Okay—okay. Just don't…_electrocute_ me again," Solace mumbled. He broke the image of a prim and professional doctor and looked scared for his life. "Jason's stable for now. I'll come back and check on him in a couple of hours. If anything happens, yell."

"Duly noted."

With that, the Son of Apollo disappeared down the hall—most likely to tend to other patients. Nico attempted to wrap his mind around Solace's sudden fear when Thalia'd glared at him—and couldn't hide his amusement (albeit how ill-placed it seemed.) "Do I want to know why he's afraid of you?"

"Probably not." Thalia's eyes remained on her brother, transfixed with every visible bruise that presented itself to her.

"I don't understand why you keep insisting that I come with you." Not that he was complaining. Thalia's stubbornness and fierceness allowed him to stay as close as he wanted to Jason's side. That being said—with his heart beating cautiously in his chest—Nico walked closer and stood to the other side of her. He pushed the sound of the heart rate monitor to the back of his mind and watched the tubes that were laced intricately in Jason's nostrils and mouth.

As his fingers traced a line down Jason's bruised forearm, he felt it. _Life. Full_ and _luscious_, and wrapping around him—embracing him, like the real Jason knew how with just a few words.

He'd be okay.

For the first time since their separation in Los Angeles, Nico knew he could relax. He curled his hand against pale flesh and summoned the closest thing he had to a smile.

"Because of that." Thalia's voice brought him back to reality, and her demeanor sobered. "I want you to take care of Jason when he's okay, di Angelo."

What. "_What?_"

"I know. I—I know. I'm not leaving soon. But I'll have to. I swore to stay at Artemis's side for the rest of my life." Blue eyes narrowed to him, suddenly as dark as the midnight sky. Her demeanor fell as she reached to stroke Jason's hair—like Bianca used to do for Nico.

And it was the day he met Percy Jackson, all over again. The day Bianca decided to become a huntress, and the day that changed their lives forever. Nico's jaw slackened as the realization struck him—and he couldn't form his next thoughts into words.

"I know." He didn't have to. Thalia cut him off again, her face shriveling. "If I could turn back the clock and spend more time with him, Nico, I would. _Gods_, I would. I spent the rest of my life after losing him thinking I'd never find happiness ever again. You know the stories—I know you do." Olive-toned fingers reached up and massaged her temples. She locked gazes with Nico, whom she'd spent the last seventeen hours bonding with in the waiting room, and her eyes regained the regal power they'd had before all of the waterworks and screaming. "Children of Zeus don't have a sense of fulfillment. As soon as we're born, we've made Hera our enemy and the rest of our lives are spent proving that we're worthy of our father's name. We want power and control, but every decision leading up to it doesn't make it enough. Jason will _always_ have me. Just like you'll always have Bianca."

This time when Thalia mentioned her name, Nico's fingers curled at the hilt of his Stygian iron sword. The look in her eyes made it obvious that she noticed.

"Jason trusts you. He's told me himself. And he needs a pillar, other than me, New Rome, and other than Piper and Leo," she continued steadily. Thalia's eyes hardened and she stroked Jason's wound protectively. "Please. I want you to take care of him. I want you guys to take care of each other."

"Okay." After a long internal debate, Nico's grip on his sword relinquished. He didn't like the idea of Thalia abandoning her only brother—but he understood.

A pensive smile fell across her face and she scrutinized her younger brother. "He's a grown boy now. Jace doesn't need me to be there twenty-four/seven to nurse his booboos. But he does need someone."

_Maybe that was why Bianca chose reincarnation. _Because he was grown enough that he didn't need her as his crutch anymore.

"I'll watch after him for you," Nico promised—even if he was still processing what'd just happened. He looked down to Jason's pungent, swollen face and bit the inside of his mouth. The thought of leaving Jason never occurred to him anyway. Thinking about _now—_ever leaving Jason—made him sick to his stomach. "But you have to do something for me."

Thalia's blue eyes sparked like crisp lightning: fierce, harsh, and stubborn. "Name it."

-x-

The next few days were spent with the rest of their friends (Nico used the word warily—knowing it was directed more at Jason than it was to himself) sporadically coming into the hospital room. Thalia'd been a constant presence at Jason's side as her brother recuperated, and Nico did the same. Since his promise to her, going more than a few feet away made his stomach churn and anxiety well in his heart.

He knew better. He really did.

_Going away for more than a few paces wouldn't make Jason Grace's heart stop beating. _But. What if it did?

Nico wanted to smack himself every time the ridiculous thought came up. Based on one touch, he knew Jason was no were near death. The Fates had spared him.

Chase had gone back to school near her family, but requested to be updated about Jason's condition. Zhang and Reyna had no choice but to return to praetor duties and assure everyone that their old leader was in stable condition. They came to the medical center every chance given.

McLean was a frequent visitor, charmspeaking Octavian and other nuisances out the door whenever they demanded to be let in (Nico decided he liked her a little better, when she muttered something evil under her breath.) What irritated him the most was that McLean built herself a fort around Jason's left side when she arrived (specifically where Nico would sit and play MythoMagic with Thalia over Jason's lap. Funny—four years later and that game still popped up with him. Nico couldn't decide if it was funny or if it made him a huge nerd).

She'd spend hours at Jason's side, quietly muttering things to him or doing her geometry homework.

They weren't on bad terms with each other. Not at all, since McLean was grateful that Nico saved Jason. But _gods_, Nico thought, he just wished he saw more of Jason by _himself. _

However.

"You really feeling up to talk to me?" Hazel asked. They walked the streets of New Rome four days after the incident with the Laistrygonian Giants. (They, according to Thalia, who'd been messaged by Phoebe, were very sorry, and were left shouting to the heavens about Queen Thalia, the Scariest Witch of the Sky.) She retrieved two cups of hot cocoa offered near a small café and handed one to her brother.

"Yeah," Nico said tersely—even for him. The further they got away from the hospital (where McLean was probably knitting a scarf and chatting up girly stuff with Thalia), the more anxious he felt. The further away Jason was.

And the lonelier Nico felt, as his original motive for joining Hazel's Thanksgiving Feast hovered in the forefront of his mind. He was sick to his stomach for more than one reason tonight. No amount of hot cocoa could make him feel better.

"Nico, you're turning pale." Hazel's gold eyes flickered with concern. She set her drink down on a nearby bench and went to inspect him herself.

"'mmokay," he mumbled under his breath. _Gods, _this was hard.

The last few days had been rough on everyone—but somehow Thalia was the one who kept Nico calm. He never understood how two people could become quick friends, but her brash personality grew on him quickly. Everything he knew about her from Jason wasn't up to par with who she really was. She was better. More awe-inspiring.

Thalia knew what it was like being alone for years, being the only daughter of Zeus. Nico's entire world had been tampered with in a month spent in a time-altering casino, but she was stuck in the present. She knew everything about the prophecy and what was thought to be her inevitable outcome.

Then there was the way she treated Jason—even unconscious. The way her demeanor went from rough and brash to gentle, loving, and grief-stricken as she saw her brother's face.

He wondered if he looked the same way when he took care of Hazel. (Not that he'd ever been complimented on his smile—except for one time with Jason, before Nico adamantly tripped him.)

Watching the Grace siblings only reinforced what Nico'd thought earlier in the week. What he'd been debating for a long time, since coming around to the idea that Jason knew about him.

"If you want to go back to the hospital, we can." Hazel's demeanor fell with concern as she looked at her brother worriedly. "I know that you and Jason have been good friends since the war ended. This…entire thing, I know it's not easy on you."

"No—wait. Here. Sit." Nico wiped his sweaty palms on his dirty jeans and plopped onto the bench. He patted the seat beside him and forced himself to breathe. _Breathe. _He looked to her golden eyes, which flickered with the same doting look Bianca used to give him when she was still alive. Back then it was all about Nico bumping into things and falling over. Right now—he didn't think a bandaid could make him feel better. "You've been back in the living realm for a year now. When I went down to the Fields of Asphodel, I was looking for my sister. And I found her. You."

Red bloomed in Hazel's cheeks, her demeanor sheepish. She pulled a lock of hair behind her ear, and Nico placed his hand over hers.

"Dad let you live. He let you keep your life. And—I've been full of grief over Bianca since her death. I haven't been fair to you because of that." Nico burned holes into his pant legs with his eyes. Finally, he locked gazes with his sister for good. "But I want you to know that I trust you. I trust you with my biggest…secret. It's…why Jason and I have been around each other so often lately." Why Nico never wanted to leave Jason ever again.

"Nico." Hazel's expression shifted with concern this time, and she wrapped his given hand in her fingers, eyebrows knitting together. "What are you saying?"

His heart leapt into his throat, and Nico forced himself to swallow it down, alongside the urge to puke. "Hazel. I'm—I'm gay."

Silence.

Hazel's demeanor slackened—to something Nico couldn't read. All he knew was, it made him sicker than he'd felt before he asked her to take the walk with him. Her eyebrows furrowed again and her lips twisted. Shock.

_He knew it. _

She never got the chance to respond—nor did Nico think he wanted to hear it.

The next thing they knew, Zhang was running down the streets with Aurum and Argentum at his side and yelling both their names. "Hazel! Nico! Guys—there you are!"

"Frank!" Hazel's eyes flashed with one panicked look in Nico's direction—before she latched onto her boyfriend as he came within six feet of them. "Frank, what's wrong? Why were you running?"

Closing his eyes, Nico swallowed the disgusting taste at the back of his mouth.

"It's Jason," Zhang said between pants. His eyes widened—absolutely livid. "He's awake."

-x-

**End Intermission**

-x-

**Author's Note: **

I was thinking about it before I started writing this chapter, if New Rome would have a hospital. Then I decided—yup, makes sense, since New Rome is a city with Camp Jupiter in there too. It'd be for childbirth, injuries in town—etc. And then I thought it'd be a really _nice_ hospital that was almost surreal. :D I hope you guys enjoyed the "intermission" and Nico's take on the whole situation! Thank you for reading so far!


	5. Act III: The Sister, cont'd

-x-

**Act III**: The Sister, cont'd

-x-

_Did I lose my memories again? _

—was Jason's first thought when consciousness fluttered back to his mind. Waking up in one of New Rome's hospital beds certainly _made_ him feel like he lost his mind.

The bright lights and sounds were dizzying, and Jason could barely tell what was down or up or right or left. He felt like he'd taken Leo's hammer to the back of his head, while the rest of his body breathed like Swiss cheese. His entire torso was wrapped in so much gauze that Jason was sure it'd molded to his skin in the five days since the accident.

All he needed to see was the back of Thalia's head as it lunged out the door, with her voice shouting something indescribable. "—wake, he's awake! Solace, get your ass over here, Jason's awake!"

Thalia. Thalia, the Hunter, Thalia, his sister—

"Thalia," he said. His throat choked on the name and air was forced through his nostrils. His throat burned, feeling swollen shut, moist, and dry all at the same time, and eyes were crusted over from too many days asleep.

Someone was to the side of him—Piper, he thought.

That didn't matter as much, he thought to himself stubbornly. Thalia had priority over everyone and—that fuzzy voice, the one that told him to shut up the last time he was awake. No—Thalia first. He beckoned her over repeatedly, despite the _singeing_ in his throat. Jason would have moved, but his entire body _ached_ like a mutilated statue that'd been glued together again.

"I'm here, I'm here—I-I'm here, Jason." His older sister came over and wrapped cold fingers around his warm hand. _Gods_, it felt so good. One look at Thalia let Jason know he wasn't hallucinating. There she was—with her electrifying blue eyes, her olive-toned, glowing skin, and the frock of freckles that fell over the bridge of her nose, and her choppy black hair, and the silver circlet in her hair that signified she was lieutenant and—

Oh, thank _Jupiter_ she was okay. That she was here.

"You're Thal'ya Gace," he slurred, articulating as best as possible. Jason's heart leapt into his throat, like every force was against them interacting, and he trembled. "You're my…sissster. My big sister, my best sister—my _alive sister. _I remember you—I didn't forget you, you're here, I'm—"

"Oh, gods," she whispered, and her gaze brightened with the sheen of tears.

"I swear, I will _kill_ whoever makes me forget you again," Jason promised. And—ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow—he hurt. Why did he hurt?

"You fucking dweeb," Thalia snapped—and she laughed before immediately throwing her arms over his shoulders.

"Ow—gods, _ow_, Thalia, that—"

"Sorry—my bad. You just—" She wiped away the tears at the creases of her eyes and stood apart from him. "Gods, you're amazing, little brother."

As Jason sorted out groggy thoughts, he remembered that Piper was in the room too—his tan, beautiful ex-girlfriend with her long, choppy hair and ripped up jeans and—geometry textbook, apparently. She had the same tears, hands over her mouth, and looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"I remember you too." Jason said finally, He reached with his uncasted hand to touch his face—which was currently bounded by a loose head brace. Gods, did he feel disgusting. As the blood circulated through his brain again, he knew there was a nagging in his head. He remembered Thalia, and even Piper. But. "Where's Nico?"

They were in New Rome.

_Oh. _

"Where is he?" Jason repeated, and he whipped his head so hard that it hurt.

On cue, the Son of Hades suddenly appeared at the door with…with Hazel, and Frank. Dark eyes made contact with him, wide and mystified as Jason attempted to blink away fatigue—only for everyone to be pushed back by Will Solace.

Will appeared in the room before Jason's three friends could, dressed in scrubs and a doctor's coat. His face twisted, eyebrow rising beneath his fluff of blond hair and he lulled the room out of their hysterics. "As happy as I am for you guys, I should really check up on Jason myself. Even you should leave, Thalia. You guys can come back in a bit."

Jason had no idea how disoriented he was until Will forced him to gulp down a cup of diluted gorgon's blood to clear his mind. He felt feverish—which was a result of having liquid ambrosia being pumped through him from an IV. Growing up, he rarely visited the hospital unless someone needed to be dropped off. Camp Jupiter enforced the duties on campers to learn, for their future. Hospitals were meant for expecting mothers and citizens who hurt themselves in the city—meaning Jason must have really been in bad shape for him to be here.

Going to a hospital and rationing on quests were two separate concepts. For one thing, all of the ambrosia squares forced down your throat in the latter were usually burnt off while you ran away or swung a sword. Heroes were more aware of evading and striking, so getting struck in a vital organ the way Jason did put him at a disadvantage. No evading, no striking—just. Falling.

It was always a marvel to Jason how structured New Rome was in comparison to Camp Halfblood. The hospital he was taken to was run by plenty of Apollo's children and even more legacies that had settled down through the years. Greek demigods could barely wrap their mind around the idea of _living_ to adulthood. Still, hierarchy clearly didn't matter. Will Solace, nineteen years old and one of the best healers at camp, already knew things that New Romans twice his age were still going to school for.

As the gorgon's blood worked its magic, Will helped Jason sit up and unwound the first three layers of bandages. The indentation of where the spear hit him became more visible, like a portion of Jason was missing. Jason grimaced at the red and yellow stains on dirtied bandages, then felt nauseous when he saw the wound itself.

"You think it's ugly now, but you should have seen it when you had a spear through your chest," Will mused. "We've had hymns playing since you got out of surgery, along with a steady flow of liquid ambrosia through you. It's why you feel so lightheaded. Don't worry—you're nowhere near a bad amount. New Rome's technology is really amazing."

"Always astounds me too," Jason muttered weakly. He rotated his bad shoulder—and cringed.

"You won't be flying for a while," Solace said, reading Jason's mind. "Or holding a sword any time soon. Maybe a week. Maybe two. Any mortal with your type of injury—well. They're lucky to even be alive."

"Noted," Jason groaned hatefully. He ached all over, body exhausted from the whole experience, and felt downright disgusting.

"Seriously though, Grace." Will's voice darkened as he reached to a tray of medical bandages on the overbed table. "You're lucky to be alive. Di Angelo got you here just in time."

Yeah.

"Your jaw got a rough beating out there too. It may hurt to talk or do anything for a few days. We'll do a color and vision test to make sure you're not damaged from that. Now that you're awake, the recovery process should go more smoothly. We can prescribe a stronger dosage of ambrosia to see how your body reacts, and then you should be on your way." Will's sunny blue eyes watched him thoughtfully and he raised Jason's bad arm. "Did I mention all of this will have to be taken orally?"

Jason did his best to groan, and knew it came out as a ragged, zombie-like sound. "Hate you."

"But you saved your sister," Will reminded. The edge of his lip curled into a cheery smile, reminding Jason of the Statue to Apollo that they had down on camp grounds. Solace broke his professional demeanor for the time being, reverting back to one of the coolest campers Jason knew back at Camp Halfblood. "Props, man."

Right. "And Nico saved both of us." Jason swore on his life that he'd never forget what Nico di Angelo did for him.

A few minutes later after all of his bandages were changed, Will announced that Jason would need a good scrubbing later in the night ("By you?" "Oh, _gods_ no. Jake would get a kick out of it, though.") The gorgon's blood numbed his headache and helped his vision as his friends were finally allowed back into the room. Will explained blatantly to them that Jason's mind was running with drugs in his system—and quipped that Jason might be a little dazed.

(It only made Jason concerned about how he actually felt versus to how he was actually _acting_. Thalia was going to give him crap for it later.)

Speaking of his elder sister, she was the first to return to his side—and freeze—before she could accidentally fling her arms around him again. Instead, Thalia kissed him on the forehead and held his free hand close to her chest. "I love you, little brother."

"You too," he whispered to her. Jason reached up with his good arm and brushed the hair out of her eyes. He had no idea how she reacted after he took the spear to the chest, but assumed it wasn't pretty. Thalia had either been treated beforehand or sustained few to no injuries. Good. "'mmglad you're safe."

She smiled bitterly and jokingly tapped his shoulder like a play-hit. "I'm your big sister. I'm supposed to take care of you."

"And you did. So did Nico." Speaking of which—Jason turned his head back to their group of friends. Piper and Reyna stood at one side of him, while Hazel and Frank remained latched together. He looked past all of them and found him—found his Nico.

Nico stood in the far corner, closest to the door with his hands shoved in his pockets. Nico tensed at the mention of his name, but he didn't look up. In fact—his eyes remained at his feet, hands stuffed in his pockets and complexion as green as New Rome's grass.

"Nico," Jason repeated—and the boy in question turned away again.

"C'mon, Nico," Frank reached over and tapped the younger boy chivalrously on the shoulder. "Jason deserves to know who saved his life."

"Don't touch me," Nico grumbled—and he instinctively slapped the elder boy's hand away. "And for the last time, I didn't save—" They made eye contact.

Nico's dark, tired eyes that brimmed with shadows and the silhouette of a mad genius—and the twist of his eyebrows that made it hard to differentiate between his scowl and his frown—met blue. Sometimes—that was even the way they looked when he was smiling. Sad orbs met Jason's lucid gaze, and his hands slipped out of his pockets like limp appendages.

Pulling his hand away from his sister, Jason curled his finger into a 'C,' the same way Nico'd done a long time ago when they met on the rooftop of his apartment complex. "C'mere."

The Son of Hades obliged—walking forward as Reyna, Piper, Frank, and Hazel parted the way for him. He stood hesitantly next to Thalia, in closer distance, and extended a hand when Jason asked for it.

Then—Jason promptly yanked Nico forward with all the strength he had in one arm. Everyone yelped for his life, and Nico stumbled toward his bedside, hitting his stomach into a railing. One ebony black eyebrow raised into the air in disbelief. _'Really?'_

"Really," Jason breathed. He wrapped his fingers around Nico's hand and thumbed the skull ring on his finger. Securing their grip—feeling Nico's _flesh_ against his own, Jason brought the hand up and kissed Nico's knuckles. "Thank you."

Red flushed out the sickening green, and Nico's lips parted—however, speechless.

"Stay with me tonight?"

This time, Nico made an _'Errghh—' _and pressed his other hand to his face. It either meant, _'Grace, I swear to god I will make sure you burn in the depths of hell_,' or '_Yes_.'

Somewhere in the background, Jason could hear Thalia scoff. "Oooooooh, yeah. He is _definitely _feeling the meds."

-x-

"So an oath to Artemis gets me a +300 attack power and +1000 defense?"

"Yes. I think that represents the immortality given to hunters so that they never die."

Thalia snorted. "I'll take it."

The last three days following Jason's coming to involved a lot of doting from New Romans. It'd been the longest he stayed in San Francisco since Percy and he made the switch—not counting the weeks filled with reconstruction of New Rome. Several centurions requested meetings with him for advice, regardless of Jason spending a great deal of time reminding them that he was no longer praetor. New Romans brought him plenty of tuna casseroles and other foods, for all the times he was a "Good Samaritan," even though it was still hard for him to keep it down, and get-well-soon baskets courtesy of Camp Halfblood.

Now that Greek demigods and Roman demigods got along, Jason saw a mixture of all his friends. Dakota, Bobby—_Jake Mason, the Stoll Brothers, Clarisse La Rue_—were visitors that came in different hours. La Rue mentioned something about "manning Franky up"—and Jason decided to pity his successor. Even Octavian had shown up to shred a _Get Well Soon_ stuffed giraffe (courtesy of a pissed off Annabeth) in order to read Jason's fortune as camp augur. _Doctor Will_ ushered the Stoll Brothers out of the room when they discussed stealing some meds (which apparently didn't keep them from stealing his wallet and a few casseroles.)

However, the weirdest thing to wake up to between naps and long rests—for the third day in a row—was Thalia and Nico sitting at the other end of his room playing MythoMagic—complete with a few action figures.

According to both demigod on separate occasions, they'd done some serious bonding while Jason was under the knife. Nico confided in Jason that Thalia made him think of Bianca. Not just her—but a little bit of Nico himself, too. Thalia put what she said at the cave into action—and treated Nico like she did Jason.

"How come it took two months of asking before you'd go eat ice cream with me," Jason started, letting them know he was awake, "but you're willing to play Mythomagic with my big sister?"

Neither bothered to look at him anymore when he was awake. Instead, Nico looked at his hand of cards before placing one across the small table. "Because you're easier to say no to."

"Ouch."

"He's got a point. I'm scary," Thalia mused. Biting the inside of her mouth, she placed one of her own on the card template—and grinned when Nico muttered profanity under his breath. "I spent two hours trying to explain this game to you yesterday and you _still_ didn't get it."

"Oh yeah." Jason chuckled and pushed himself into a sitting position. This time, Nico and Thalia _did_ look at him. "Because it's super easy to explain a game like this to a _concussive dyslexic. _I see how it is."

Three days didn't erase the ache in his chest wound, but it did make the swelling go down enough for Will to remove Jason's head wrap. The Gorgon's blood had perfected his vision—and he no longer needed to wear the respirator in his nostrils. The shooting pain in his chest remained, however, when he breathed in too harshly. Nico had spent the past few days disregarding Jason's whining and forced ambrosia squares down his throat.

"You hungry, Jace?"

Jason nodded.

"I'll go get some food." Thus, Thalia set her cards aside and focused on her brother once more. Standing to her feet, she made her way toward the door and—paused. "Once you get better, I'm gonna have to leave."

"I know." Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, all Jason could do was smile sadly at his sister. All he could have wished for was to spend time with Thalia. Regardless of the circumstances, it'd been one of the highlights of his week.

She mimicked his smile, tired and wary, and disappeared down the hallway.

Once she was no longer in sight, Jason's eyes fell back to Nico, who'd long since toddled over to his good side. The younger boy's dark eyes flickered hesitantly as his gaze fell to Jason's hand—and in return, Jason extended it. _I know you want to._

Nico's shoulders sagged beneath the aviator's jacket (not that Jason ever realized they were ever that tense) and he took it gratefully. The blonde made room for Nico to hop on the bed, leaving a reasonable gap between their legs. (It was usually closed by the end of the night, with Nico trustfully resting his head against Jason's shoulder.)

Despite the Son of Jupiter's insistent (and incredibly embarrassed) apologies for his dazed behavior, he discovered Nico had no trouble complying with the strange wishes. Someone might actually say that Nico _enjoyed_ the touch—given it were the right person, and if that person could read Nico well enough. Jason was proud how far they'd come since their truce back in September.

That being said, Nico finally relaxed when Jason curled his fingers around the other boy's hands. He touched a skull ring and felt Nico's thumb around his own.

"So I think Piper wants us to get back together," the elder teen said as quiet conversation. He rested their intertwined hands between them and laid back to his pillow, gaze fixated on his friend.

Although Nico never actually looked at him when they did this, Jason still commanded his full attention. That being said, the younger teen snorted. "Oh yeah?"

"She hasn't gone back to Malibu yet. She always brings her homework with her to come visit." Not that she ever got it done, with the Stoll Brothers hanging around. Piper tended to visit early in the morning, greeting Jason with soyburgers and a cup of transparent, fruit Jell-O. They had a fun time freaking out the doctors, who were flustered at her presence, and spoke about everything that'd occurred since Camp was over.

Pipes was even nicer to Nico, like the first visit never happened. That was all that mattered.

"An amazing deduction," the said Son of Hades responded between Jason's thoughts. "If it wasn't for the fact Travis Stoll was so sweet on her."

"Wait. _What_?"

"You don't actually think the Stoll Brothers come up here to terrorize the hospital, do you?" Nico's demeanor mixed, eyebrow raised in wry amusement—and they furrowed for a moment. "Actually. I would blame you for thinking that."

"You're kidding me."

"Why?" This time, dark eyes turned to him, flickering with both amusement and hesitation. Nico's fingers tapped against Jason's own and the edge of his lip curled into a smirk. "Jealous?"

"Actually…" Letting the shock subside in Jason's mind, he reached with his other arm to scratch his head—and wrinkled his nose at the shooting pain. Nico's eyes focused on that immediately. No. Not really. "No."

"Really." Nico's expression changed warily, eyebrow and everything.

"I haven't thought of her that way since we broke up after the war." His own brow furrowing, Jason discovered that—yeah. He was happy for her. Pipes was moving on and—while Travis could be a pain, he was also one of the coolest guys Jason knew. Nudging the younger teen in the arm, Jason sat up more comfortably and locked gazes with his friend. "I've had more important things on my mind."

_Very more important. _

Nico said nothing. Instead, he cocked his head to the side and looked away—with the tips of his ears glowing with the sweetest pink.

Now that Jason's mind was in order, he needed to work on getting his life back on track. Admittedly, finding Nico was the most important thing to him when the school year started. He was so bent on finding the younger boy that nothing else really mattered. Now that they were back together, Jason had no idea where to go from there.

But he could backtrack, at least.

"How come Hazel and you have been avoiding each other?" His fingers tightened around Nico's as supportively as possible when he felt the other boy tense.

To his surprise, Nico only ducked his head, allowing his hair to fall into his eyes and shroud the harsh smile that littered his lips.

It was a combination of knowing Nico too well and unintentionally spotting everything that was wrong. In the following days since Jason landed himself in the hospital, the other boy had been a constant presence next to Thalia—usually lurking in the corner with his cards or with a book in hand when the others arrived.

With Hazel in particular, however, Nico focused extra hard on his books or finally disappeared from the room until she left while she kept her focus on Jason or Frank when he spoke—and only looked to the door when Nico left. Jason knew Nico only used the door if he wanted that fact noticed—otherwise he would have shadowtraveled out of the room.

"Because I told her I was gay."

The voice beside Jason pulled him out of his thoughts. It wasn't that he didn't know about Nico's secret (obviously, really), or that he kept forgetting—but it was only the second time he'd ever heard the word 'G' come out of Nico's mouth. The Son of Hades looked less sick to his stomach, probably having practiced it in his head a few times over, but it didn't counter the hostile demeanor that overtook Nico's face.

"Was…that why you were the Rockies that day?" Jason asked. His mind whirred at the (very faint) memory of Nico's hands soaked in his blood before he had passed out, and the guilt bubbled back in his stomach. "I'm sorry, by the way—I knew I said I'd be waiting at my apartment—"

"No, that's not why. I—" The younger teen cut himself off before he could go further. "I had nightmares. I knew I had to go see you. But that's not why I was there. I told Hazel a little bit before you woke up."

Oh.

"Thalia had been beating herself up over you and trying to figure out when she should return to Artemis," he explained. Nico took his other hand out of his pocket and fiddled with the rings on his fingers. "She loves you, you know. A lot. Showing off how vulnerable she can be…that's hard for her. For us. When I saw the way she was with you, I knew it was only fair if I told Hazel. She's my sister. "

"And?"

"And she hasn't been able to look me in the eye since." Smiling grimly, Nico stuffed both hands in his pockets and left Jason's palm cold. He sagged against the reclining bed and stared at his knees. "I catch her staring at me once in a while, and she tries to say something, but it always ends up slipping away. Frank's always with her if we're alone together."

"I am _so sorry_, Nico." Without a second thought, Jason reached over and wrapped his arm around the younger boy. Nico fell into his grasp with ease—broad shouldered and angular, but still like a frail, broken boy. He wasn't sure what to say. Jason never cared growing up who was what, and who identified as who.

It was always ingrained in his system that a person was a person. Romans didn't care of your sexuality so long as you could fight well and show your pride. Sometimes with newer recruits, they showed disgruntled or shocked looks, but that mentality was quickly beaten out of them when they learned _Senatus Populusque Romanus. _It was always harder for Jason to understand why people _cared_ so much about it than the other way around.

"I knew it would come as a shock to her." Nico shook his head with disdain. His voice was mostly solid—and he must have coped with it while Jason was in and out of his senses. "She's from the same era I am. I knew—b-but—"

"But you wanted to tell her anyway," Jason finished for him. "Because she's your sister. It's like I told you, Nico. No matter how the weekend went, you're still the bravest man that I know."

The younger teen fell silent and tapped his fingers over his jacket—a nervous habit to get all of his anxiety out without actually having to show it. He leaned his head into Jason's shoulder, hair over his eyes, and his lips fidgeted. Quietly, with a broken voice, he replied, "Thank you."

They sat in silence, with the Son of Hades nestled tightly at Jason's side. He shook and trembled, growing daintier in Jason's arms. In return, the Son of Jupiter felt his heart constrict, unsure of what else to say. He wanted to say that everything would be okay. That Hazel would love him regardless. Jason was convinced she _would—_but he also knew those weren't the words Nico would believe right now.

Brushing a hand through Nico's thick locks, he played with the ends that curled against the younger boy's neck. Thalia would return soon with food for all three of them and they could talk about something else. Right now all either boy needed was touch. Comfort.

"I didn't tell her, by the way," Jason muttered after a minute or two of silence. "Thalia. She's nice to you because she thinks of you like a little brother. Not because—"

"I know," Nico cut him off and looked up, dark gaze locking with Jason's blue. "I trust you, Jason. I knew you wouldn't."

Oh. Jason couldn't form his surprise into words. Instead, he smiled at Nico and felt the flutter in his heart when Nico smiled back. "You know, if you want to tell her though—"

"Maybe." The Son of Hades cut him off once more and looked down to his knees. "But I don't want to think about it right now."

"It's…not your fault, Nico. If Hazel can't accept you—"

Nico snorted. Apparently Jason just couldn't sort his pep talk out fast enough. "I don't hate her for not accepting me, Grace. I hate the fact that I couldn't keep our relationship in check."

"Hey." Jason squeezed the younger teen's shoulder tightly and sat up—despite the pain. Nico's hand instinctively went over his chest, forcing him down as the wince was visible in Jason's grimace. "You told her your secret, Nico. Not only that, but you told yourself, too. Everything's going to be okay."

This time, Nico let a quiet chuckle bellow out of the back of his throat. He shook his head with a callous smile and looked to the ground. "Thank you, Jason. But it doesn't work that way. I'm a Child of _Hades. _I should know by now that I don't get my way. I never do."

Shadows from medical equipment circled them, dancing in open sunlight and breathing with life.

"Nico—"

"No. _No_, okay? You wanted me to express my feelings—you wanted me to tell you why I've spent the past few years _hating_ myself. Why being this—why being _gay_ was just so _wrong_ to me." Nico's voice tightened, but this time Jason didn't stop him. He listened, as Nico's dark eyes got even darker. "My sister. Bianca. Back then I made him _promise_ to keep her safe now that she was a hunter. But he couldn't—she died. I'm old enough now that I know why she left—but back then I hated him."

Jason watched Nico's entire expression change as those orbs ghosted over with the past. The shadows danced like fire—and even the sunlight looked gloomier outside the window.

"I kept asking myself—why did _he_ get to live, when _she_ died? Why couldn't Artemis protect her? Just—_why_?" Nico spat. His face flushed red with anger. "But to make matters worse, I—I couldn't hate Percy with all of my heart. I tried. I spent time honing my powers without him, without the camp. But as much as I hated him because he couldn't save my sister, I hated him _more_ because I still _liked _him. So not only did I have this inside of me—this mindset, that was just so _wrong_, b-but I had these _feelings_ for this guy that _broke his promise to me. _

"And every time I _saw_ him, he was with _her. _I never had a chance with him to begin with, but even when I had his trust, I never _fully had it._ I have to fight for it every time I see him, and at the end of the day, I _still don't have it. _And you know what?" Nico's tone boiled over in vehement rage. "I still get mad at myself because I am so _ashamed_ that I can't get him to trust me."

Silence.

The air had tensed with death and fear since Nico's confession. Beads of sweat moistened his pale face—birthed from anger, and hatred, and jealousy. His body trembled lithely—and for the first time, Jason felt like he truly _saw_ Nico.

Since the fateful day back in July, several of Nico's tiers were picked away by Jason's hands as he tried to uncover the boy. Jason knew him as the brother who loved his Roman sister. The boy that ran because he couldn't find a home. The one that loathed himself because of his secret—the one who cared deeply, and emotionally for the ones closest to him. The tier above—the one that had been Nico's motivation for helping the war effort, was skinned raw by his own words as he unveiled it. All of it.

"That's how I know I don't get what I want," whispered the younger boy weakly. He buried his face into the crook of Jason's neck, with his flesh touching Jason's shoulder, and said nothing. His voice spoke with such raw emotion, too tired to cry away his anger, and Jason didn't blame him.

It took a long time before Jason knew what he could say. He twisted his body and grabbed Nico's hand when it tried to push him back, and he raised Nico by his jaw line.

Sky blue eyes descended to the orbs shrouded by hopelessness.

"I'm sorry," Jason said quietly. He held Nico with a firm grip and stroked the other boy's hair. "I'm really sorry. I—I know that I…I'm not Percy, and I could never be a replacement for Bianca. Neither can Thalia—but you've got me. You've got both of us. You told me a week ago that after everything—good or bad, that you wanted to stay with me. And—I don't know what to say to make you feel better, but that's all I want to do right now. And it's not much, but you've got me, okay?"

Nico's eyes glistened with warm wetness, eyebrows furrowing together and lips twisting downward.

"You've got me," Jason repeated, "and you've got Thalia, regardless of whether or not she knows. You've got the team, too—and it's completely up to you. It's always been."

"I never asked for you, you know."

"I know."

"You're so _intrusive._"

"I know. And I'm—"

"I hate you." Nico reached up and threw his arms around Jason's shoulder—surprising them both. "I hat…thank you…f-for not dying."

Jason took the words in with a full heart and hugged the Son of Hades back.

The hole in his chest—the one that he'd had since the Rockies—and maybe before that, too—filled with warmth as Nico's heartbeat fell in heavy cadence against it. Complete.

-x-

Later that night, Jason woke up when the heart rate monitor stopped. He looked to his finger—where sure enough, the clip was still there—and then to the actual monitor itself, which was stopped mid-paused.

Well. Jason wasn't a doctor, but he was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to do that.

"_Whaaaaat_? You're telling me that I only get a +400 health for a Hymn to Apollo? No fair."

"Speak for yourself, nephew. At least you don't look like a bag of bones."

_What the…_this time, Jason looked to the other end of the room—where he literally could not believe what he was seeing.

Half the room was dark as night, shrouded in pure shadows and blacker silhouettes. The other half the room, nearest to the window, was lit up like someone had brought the sun inside—and then shut it off from shining in the other half. Light and dark literally split in the middle, drawing a line on the between a sleeping Nico and him.

At the small table where Thalia and Nico previously played card games were two people. The first person Jason almost mistook for Will Solace—with sandy blond hair and a sun-kissed glow that made him look like he just got off the beach. He wore swim trunks with little waves and suns with sunglasses—and over that, a doctor's coat and stethoscope. Strapped to his belt was a toy car that gleamed like a nightlight.

The second person for a moment looked like a blond woman—with cold blue eyes that used to be happy, a nose that looked all too familiar for Jason, and bright red lipstick. She wore a stunning dress that could only belong to TV and held herself like queen.

Then—she changed, looking a lot like a younger, baby-faced Thalia at the sweet age of ten—and then Percy. Piper. Leo.

Finally, the person—_god_, Jason realized—morphed until he looked the same age as the surfer-doctor, with dark eyes gleaming like a madman or a genius and sleek black hair that looked combed for a special occasion. His skin was as white as milk, face and body angular like a skeleton—clad in formal wear that made Jason think of his father's pinstriped suit. Only more…teenish, like a high school senior taking his date to the prom, in a brooding black button-up vest, coiled purple sleeves, and long dress pants. As he blinked, Jason swore he saw screaming spirits flying around in the fabric.

The person almost looked like an older Nico.

As a breath left his lips, Jason knew he commanded the attention of both gods.

The older-Nico looked to him first with wary, regal eyes that suddenly pulled at Jason's soul. "Mortals say that they see their lives flash before their eyes when they're at the brink of death. Or the people most important to them. Or even more simply, time stands still."

Jason made an incoherent sound. He looked down to Nico, who was nestled tightly by his side, asleep—and reached to wake him. Shadow tendrils wrapped around his hand through the bright light, making the blood run cold in his veins.

"He's had a hard few nights," older-Nico said quietly. A paternal gleam flickered through his gaze, and Jason's breath caught in his throat. "I would let him sleep. He is comfortable, Son of Jupiter."

"Pluto," Jason spoke. No. "Hades."

"_Aaaand_ me," said the other god. He shuffled through the cards with a blinding grin and plucked the first one between his fingers. "You think I look hotter in the card or like this?"

And Apollo.

"Ohhhh boy," the demigod breathed under his breath, shocked. He'd seen gods before. Their Roman halves and their Greek halves—Boreas and Aquilon was just one example—along with Hercules/Heracles—but here he was, conducting an unexpected meeting with two of the most powerful gods out there. One, who was on terrible terms with his father and tried to kill his _sister_ on multiple occasions before she became a tree. The other—well. Uh.

"Oh, me? I'm a messenger. Well, don't tell Hermes that, he'll throw a fit." Apollo flashed another grin, directing it toward Jason like a spotlight and spun a card in his hand. "Let me explain why I'm here in form of a haiku. Ahem!

"_Your sister is missed_

_The Huntresses are all babes_

_I got smacked today"_

Seeing that eyebrow raised on Hades' face the same way Nico would look at him was just too weird.

"I'm confused," Jason said. He was pretty sure that Will commanded the nurses to lower his dosage of ambrosia squares and other medications over a day ago. "Are you…going to rip up a stuffed giraffe like Octavian?"

"What? Aw, no way." Apollo hummed and threw down a second card. "I prefer sheep."

He decided not to ask if the Sun God meant _real _sheep or _stuffed_ ones.

"Artemis wanted me to send you a message. She thanks you for thinking of her hunters whenever they got injured with the giants." Apollo hummed something similar to the hymns Jason had been hearing in the past few days. He suddenly felt ten times better. "She isn't big on men, but she appreciates you. And as the brother of her lieutenant…she hopes you understand that Thalia needs to come back. For good."

"I understand that." Nodding, Jason tensed as he felt Nico's body scoot closer to his own. He looked over to Hades, who looked none the wiser.

"The way things are going, you can't see her until at least next summer, kiddo."

Wait, wait, wait. _"What?_" Now Jason didn't understand. Cocking his head to the sun god in disbelief, Jason's mouth dropped to the edge of his bed. "You're _banning _me from seeing my own sister?"

Despite the fact Jason was shocked, Apollo's face remained relaxed and nonchalant. He was more interested shuffling the cards than looking up to the distraught teen. "I don't agree with all the rules, kid, but this one's a doozy. Thalia made an oath to my sister years ago, long before the second war. You're her weakest link."

"I'm her brother," Jason snapped. The moral compass in his mind adamantly told him to shut up and forgive the god—because backsassing didn't usually win wars in the past unless you were Percy Jackson. "I—we found each other last year after being separated for _thirteen years_, and you want to pull us apart_ again_? I won't _stand_ for that."

"Hey, hey, hey." Apollo pulled the sunglasses off his face and set them down next to him. His eyes were like two golden stars gleaming in the darkness. Literally. "Trust me, I'm all for brotherly love for the sis, but let's not forget, this is about _my_ sister, too. Now, yours has spent a week by your side and not with the other hunters. It's a shame, really—the first time I've seen one of those babes smile. But an oath to _my_ sister is binding—unless she falls in love or in battle. The second one, you already took the spear for her."

"But you're talking about _separating_ me from my sister. My only family." Jason seethed, his hand curling protectively over Nico's shoulder as the other boy slept against him. "I know that we can't always _be_ together, but…actually _banning _me?"

"Sorry, kiddo." Apollo tsk'd and his expression changed—nonchalant and detached from Jason's dilemma. "You two have had an interesting past. Hang onto my words though—next summer will be fairly interesting. You two will need some time apart until then. Trust me—that'll make things a lot easier."

Jason opened his mouth to speak again—and couldn't form the words. Here before him was the God of _Prophecy_, after all—sounding eerily too indifferent for Jason's displeasure. The tone of his voice rubbed Jason's ears the wrong way, sounding too "absolute," like Octavian.

"Skirting away from her duties is already damaging enough for your sister, Jason Grace. Take it from me—I'd do anything for my sister, but she also has her own duties." This time, Apollo's eyes softened, looking closer to Will. "When you two were separated, Thalia made a name for herself by becoming Artemis's lieutenant. She faced monsters to get her two friends to Camp Halfblood. At the same time, you completed twelve years in the Legion, restored the name of the Fifth Cohort, and moved your ranks up to praetor."

Unfortunately those were also accomplishments that Jason had given up.

"You also gave up all of these accomplishments, even though they represented everything that our big dad could be proud of. Wow," Apollo commended. He cleared his throat again and raised his head.

"_Hero Jason Grace_

_Inferior to himself _

_He seeks an angel_

_Or a Hot Zombie?" _

Jason twitched. "That's four lines."

"I know—Uncle, which fits better?" Apollo turned to the Older Nico, who was currently busy shuffling through the cards and paying no attention to them. "A hot zombie or seeking an angel?"

"Zombies, angels." Hades grunted and looked through his hand. "Simply Hollywood's way to glorify death. Why, if I told you how many times I've caught Thanatos watching the Walking Dead—"

"We'll go with angel." Apollo clasped his hands together. With a puff of smoke, the card between his fingers turned into an index card with—with Jason's face on it. "The point, Jason Grace, is that you've spent your life with everything under control. Your control. The pretty girl, the best friend, being the leader—that kind of stuff. Even now, living in a shabby apartment down the street from the Underworld, you've got it. You don't want it."

"I don't want it?"

"Are you satisfied right now?"

No, said the voice in the back of Jason's head. _Yes. _Turning his attention to Nico, Jason couldn't help but think of earlier that day, when Nico spilled his heart out. The whole goal since July was for Nico to trust him—and for Nico to understand that Jason wasn't leaving. Once Thalia returned with food, she had seen how close the Son of Hades and her baby brother really were. _This_, Jason knew, was the result of him catching up to the runaway demigod.

Four months ago, Nico wouldn't have confided in him all of the things he'd done earlier. He wouldn't have accepted himself—nor would he have been able to say the word _gay._

They certainly wouldn't be here right now, with the ebony hair pressed against Jason's neck as the boy dozed off in silence—probably charmed to keep from waking—four months ago. What happened with Hazel was definitely more scarring than what Nico led on. Jason had no doubt that if they were back at his apartment—this would be what they were doing.

Uh. Not that Jason was hoping it would lead to being in bed together.

"I—"

"You'll get your challenge, Jason Grace. Something that's out of your control. You'll have to choose between doing what you think is right, and doing what you really want."

"Shouldn't that be the same thing—?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Apollo placed his hands on his temples and took the posture of an old woman. "My _powers_. I, Fred the Amazing and Handsome Psychic, have grown _weak_. I cannot tell you the rest of your fate!" He unclipped the bright yellow toy truck strapped to his belt and instantly they turned into a pair of car keys. "New York's expecting sunlight in an hour—I'll be leaving you now."

"Uh—"

Despite slumbering, Jason placed a hand over Nico's eyes and turned away as Apollo revealed his godly form. A bright flash of light—gaudier than what Jason was used to—coated the whole room. When he finally opened his eyes again, the line between dark and light disappeared, replaced with the shadows and moonlight that gleamed through the window.

All who were left were Jason, and Hades—who in the entire circumstance had yet to move.

Instead, the god that sat across from him turned his head to make eye contact with the Son of Jupiter. Jason held his ground, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He curled a hand over Nico protectively, with anger knotting in his heart. "I don't suppose you're going to say you wanna take Nico away from me too."

He was shocked at his own ferocity as it left his lips. Yes, the thought of Nico being taken away from him made him boil with frustration, but actually _saying _the words so fiercely caused anger to burn in his throat.

"Quite the contrary." To his surprise, Hades's voice teemed with quiet amusement—so subtle that Jason wondered if he'd even heard it at all. "You have a lot of nerve, Son of Jupiter, thinking that you could survive near the entrance of my domain. You exist as my least favorite brother's offspring, and not only that—but you were _graced _as the second child to the same family. Do you know how many of us get to do that?" Hades scrutinized him—and the flicker of the madman pierced Jason's chest. "How often I get to do that?"

"Not often enough," Jason grumbled under his breath. He knew both of them immediately looked to Nico, who was sound asleep and evidently wasn't going to wake up for this encounter. "I know that you were angry at my father—Zeus, for breaking the promise—and you went after my sister for years until her eventual death, but—"

"And yet somehow it was I who made the spear miss your heart. I let you live."

"—_what?_"

As they made eye contact again, Jason felt the air escape from his lungs. He saw visions—of a mother and her two children: a son and a daughter. Nico—and Bianca. And their mother. They faded away with a blink, and Hades's somber face lit up with a hateful smile. "I'm sure you understand that Zeus killed Maria di Angelo before her time. She meant a great deal to me. And to our two children—Bianca, and Nico."

"I'm sure," Jason whispered quietly. She was beautiful. The vision of her disappeared, but what he could decipher was a very loving woman. And Bianca—there she had been for the first time, looking very much like her mother. Then there was Nico. _A smiling_, _happy_ _Nico_.

"The day she passed, I was reminded that as an immortal—as the King of the Underworld, I must respect the rules of life and death. I am a god who honors my word, Jason Grace." Hades's darkened with shadows. "You weren't destined to die. Not just yet. As my nephew stated, there are big plans waiting for you in the future. And I want you to abide by my wishes the best you can."

"I…" Jason's lips pursed together.

The shadows of the room danced, brought to life at the hand of death, and stroked the face of the Son of the Death God—like a father.

It occurred to Jason in bitter irony that he'd now seen more of _Hades_ than he had his own dad.

"He is certainly no Bianca. She had all the potential to be a powerful demigod—to be the Child of Prophecy, once she realized her bloodline." Hades did not move. His hands remained at his sides, with his vision locked on his youngest son. "Yet I've seen him work his way up from the pits of his internal hell until I admit—I am proud to have him as my champion."

"He's got the strongest control over his powers than anyone that I've seen," Jason agreed. Pride swelled in his chest as the shadows kissed Nico's cheekbone. "Better than me or Percy combined."

"As it should be," Hades responded, almost like a pompous, proud dad at a football game. "And so I conclude—if you wish to continue courting Nico in the way that you have, then I only warn you of the decisions that await you."

Wait, wait, wait—"_What?_"

"He is a fragile boy with a heavy past over his shoulders, and if you follow the footsteps of my _stupid brother_—"

"Hold on," the blonde sputtered. Red darkened in his cheeks and Jason gawked. "You think that I—y-you think that I'm in love with Nico?"

The shadows stopped. Cold chills ran through Jason like all the blood in his body suddenly disappeared—and he sat as still as a corpse as Hades' neutral expression turned frozen.

"If you follow the footsteps of my stupid brother," the God responded with a chilling glare, "then I will make sure your death is painful."

"But—"

As soon as he blinked, Hades was no more. The shadows returned to normal—with the tendrils disappearing from Nico's tired face. In the corner of Jason's ears, he could hear the heart monitor beep. Quicken in pace.

Jason's entire body fell into shock.

Courting Nico. Him. Going…_after_ Nico.

Beside the elder teen, he heard a soft whimper—and turned to watch Nico's face twist in fear. Instantly, Jason leaned over and pulled an arm over the younger boy, before thumbing Nico's cheek. He hoped good thoughts would melt through the touch. And then—stopped himself.

This…wasn't courting. Was it?

This…was natural.

Jason gulped. This was what he wanted.

Uh-oh.

_So, _chuckled the miser in his voice—speaking for the first time in months, with a raw undertone that grazed Jason's chest, _how long do you think that'll last? _

-x-

**Author's Note: **

Exams are coming up in the next two weeks, so there may not be an update in a bit, depending on how my schedule looks. Until then, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving Break!


	6. Act IV: The Best Friend

-x-

**Act IV: **The Best Friend

-x-

_I don't like him. _

"You alright?"

"Yeah."

_I don't. _

"Jason—"

"Nico, it's my torso that got hit—not my legs." Splitting into a grin, Jason tested his legs around the open garden, with his bare feet tingling happily in grass. Wind hit him from the north, with a quiet chill from early December weather. It was never cold enough to snow in San Francisco, but he loved the change in temperature when he got to fly.

Which—wouldn't be happening for a while, but he didn't care.

Instead, Jason shot off with a jog to test his stamina. He'd lost a lot of muscle mass with the time spent in the hospital. Will forced him to focus on his healing process—which meant ambrosia squares, gorgon's blood, and another assortment of magical medical items that would be worth a fortune in the underground market. He would have to do a lot of training to regain _his_ ideal stamina and endurance—but Nico fortunately agreed to help him.

_I don't like him. N-not in…__**that**__ way._

Everyone expected the Son of Jupiter to remain in New Rome—at least for the time being until he felt comfortable with leaving.

The Twelfth Legion's idea of his '_comfort level'_ to leave was about three months. Jason could barely stand staying another day.

Twelve years out of his sixteen-year-old life were spent in service for the Twelfth Legion. Being Roman was a part of Jason's heritage—but he wasn't as Roman as they wanted him to be anymore. Nor was he Greek enough for Camp Halfblood—no matter how badly he wanted to be. Going back to Camp Halfblood just didn't have the same _ring_ to it like _going home. _

So where was home?

With Nico.

_I love him. As my friend. _As a comrade. As a brother in arm.

But as a lover…

_I can't love him more than that. _Pushing that particular thought out of his mind, Jason grinned and picked up his pace. Behind him, Nico shouted his name—the metal tab of a canned lecture waiting to happen. He laughed into the winds and felt them titter back against his skin. "C'mon, Nico! Race me!"

And while the Son of Hades would spend the rest of his life denying it, Jason knew Nico was smiling.

_I can't hurt him. _

The garden was an exquisite field designed by legacies and prodigies of Vulcan, along with demigods to Ceres. It radiated with eternal spring—blooming with gorgeous flowers and trees that were charmed to hit you with their branches or vines if you tried to pick them up. Even the grass could get angry and make you trip into a cluster of rocks that just "happened to be there."

However, Jason had always been told that even while running he was light on his feet. His heels brushed past blades of grass and he aimed his sights on a large tree in particular: big and bulbous, and _perfectly_ _climbable_.

Nico was already under it—smirking.

With his feet beneath him, Jason continued to charge forward—until he saw Nico's triumphant smirk twist into a cautious 'o.'

"Jason—I swear to gods, Grace, if you run into me—_JASON—_"

_RSHHHHHHHHH!_

Channeling his inner eight-year-old, Jason reached and grabbed the branch over Nico's head with a laugh. It hung above them by at least three feet and left the blonde's toes dangling over the ground. Leaves crackled and crunched until they fell under Jason's weight.

About a yard away, Nico had shadowtraveled to that very spot with his hands braced for impact. Dark eyes—_stone gray, with specks of silver_, and that god damn _glimmer of a mad genius_—now stared at him with shock. "I'll kill you."

"Is that a fact?"

"I'll _kill—_you—" And then the Son of Hades burst into a fit of laughter as Jason swung.

They joined in quiet snickers until the blonde could feel the ache in his chest—the one that was still healing after over a week of rest. Breaking his demeanor, Jason grimaced and landed at his feet. Instantly, Nico stopped laughing too—and went to inspect the damage himself.

"That's what you get for trying to scare me," he said with deadpan. Brittle fingers curled at Jason's ab, and Nico's gaze remained fixated on that very spot.

"Worth it. Mostly. Ow." Jason tried a shrug—which only invoked a glare from Nico and pain for him. "You cheated."

"I cheated?" Nico repeated half-heartedly. His focus remained on the mostly-healed injury and he muttered something about returning to Jason's room.

"Yeah." Jason smirked. "No shadowtraveling allowed. "

"I wasn't aware that was in the rulebook." A smirk of Nico's own coiled over his face and his gaze narrowed—while his hands lingered over Jason's chest. "Don't be such a sore loser, Grace."

"What—first you won't teach me how to play Mythomagic because I was _concussive_ and I'm _dyslexic_, and now you're not going to let me win a race?"

"I didn't think your pride would actually let you use those as an excuse."

"Only when I know that on a fair basis, the other person could kick my ass." A chuckle left Jason's lips and he finally complied with Nico's wish to head toward the hospital. He was right—now that he was no longer dangling off the branch, his chest really hurt.

"Damn straight," the younger teen grumbled dryly. "Accept defeat. You were defeated by the Ghost King. Now bow."

"Haha—_seriously_?"

"I'm a king, aren't I?" Nico smirked and crossed his arms over himself. He held his stature in a mock-regal stance. "I am the _Ghost King. _Now, _bow _at my feet, you—what are you doing?"

"Bowing."

"Jason—"

"I'm bowing," Jason grinned, and he pulled at Nico's right arm until his hand was curled against pale fingers. Between each word, he kissed each digit and its ring. "And now I am—" _Smooch_. "—kissing—" Smooch. "—the hand of my—" _Smooch. _"—king."

Nico said nothing. Red bloomed in his cheeks, with his lips parting with pure stun. And still—Jason knew they both knew each other well enough that Nico couldn't blow up in his face. Instead—that gorgeous ebony eyebrow raised into the air, and Nico flashed Jason's favorite look. "Erghh."

"What bothers you, my king?"

"Shut up, Grace," Nico snapped. He turned away so he faced the hospital doors and shook his head. "Just—shut up." Still—each syllable was filled with one of Nico's laughs.

Jason adored the way it sounded.

-x-

They made the trek back to Jason's hospital room hand-in-hand. Nico took care of all of the arrangements, discussing it with a nurse behind the desk and again with Will, who was awfully displeased that Jason snuck out.

"You're as bad as Percy," Will said with a roll of his eyes.

"Percy can step into water and he's instantly healed," Jason responded, with his hand over his torso once more. _Ow. _"Even Nico just needs a nap or to go to the Underworld to heal up. I don't have that luxury."

"You'd still have a better chance of healing if you didn't climb a tree," Nico supplied irritably.

He'd been like that since Thalia left that morning. They'd all gone to the hospital cafeteria to eat one last breakfast together—supplied with Hazel's leftover turkey and some soda. Another round of stories were exchanged, with Thalia expoiting every embarrassing baby story she could until her little brother was red in the face and sputtering. Nico had sat on the furthest end, with Jason right beside him, hands intertwined beneath the table. (After Hazel left was when Jason suggested sneaking out, if only to get the unhappy look off Nico's face.)

While Nico had always chastised Jason in some way for living in the most dangerous part of California—or not eating properly, or forgetting to restock on ambrosia squares—this was new. He looked at Jason differently, like the blonde could fall dead at the drop of a hat. The thought of Nico being afraid of Jason dying was just absolutely silly—after all, Nico'd been the one to save him in the first place.

"I'll swing by to do a check-up on you in about an hour." Will rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully to himself. "If all is going accordingly, you should be out of here by tomorrow afternoon. Dakota and Bobby say they want to help move things into your old room back at ca—"

"If you don't mind, Will, I actually plan on going back to my apartment in LA." Jason touched his shoulder immediately, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Will's gaze flickered in surprise. His medical demeanor broke off completely. "I'm…not really ready to go back to Camp Jupiter just yet. N-not Camp Halfblood either. It's nothing personal."

"You lost a lot of weight waiting for your body to heal, Grace. Not only that, but you haven't held a sword in over a week. You're going to feel sore lifting or swinging anything. Especially if you put a monster behind that attack." Will made another face—one that looked a little too much like a struggling Apollo. "_Hades_—you don't even _have _a sword. You really expect to survive in LA without one?"

"That's what Nico's for," Jason chirped.

The boy in question tensed. Nico turned his head and rolled his eyes. "Don't bring me into this."

"Grace, as your doctor—agh." Will's blue eyes flickered to the clock hanging on a wall and shook his head. "We'll talk about this later. I need to check up on this woman before she kicks the bucket. But you're not leaving without my consent!"

Both boys watched as Will scurried off down the corridors—nearly running over two other doctors.

"You enjoy making other people sweat?" Nico asked half-heartedly with a spark of amusement.

"It's definitely more fun than I could have imagined." The corner of Jason's lips curled into a smirk. He curled his hand tightly over Nico's own once again and started a path toward his room. "C'mon."

"Wait."

Jason waited.

Since coming in from the garden, Nico held a guarded look that was expertly hidden beneath wry amusement and sardonic humor. Someone had to know him fairly well to know that something else was on the Son of Hades' mind. That being said, Nico's eyebrows knitted together. He looked up, expression twisting with hesitation. A flicker of embarrassment flustered in his cheeks. "About…the other night. When I had…" _Broken down about Hazel. _

The blonde nodded his head, encouraging Nico to continue.

"Sorry that you had to see that. I—"

"You were upset, Nico. That's perfectly okay." Jason cut him off and placed his other hand over the boy's shoulder.

Still, the look Nico flashed made Jason realize cracked that stoic mask really was. For a moment, the younger teen stepped back, his demeanor twisting with shame and face turning pale. "I don't like being that way. Or letting people see me—"

"I understand. But one of the reasons why I wanted us to become friends is so that you knew that it's okay to do that. To get…unraveled." Jason bit the inside of his mouth. He wasn't very good with his words. Not in the way Nico needed, no matter how hard Jason tried. "Sorry I wasn't much help myself. But if you need to talk again, you know my door is always open."

It wasn't a lot that Jason could offer in his current state, but it was enough for Nico to smile again.

_So_, said the miser in Jason's head. _When are you going to tell him what the gods said?_

He shoved the thoughts away, locking them in a wooden box that would hopefully never be opened again. Jason wouldn't even know where to start with that.

_Hey, Ghost KIng, I'm not allowed to see my sister until next summer. Not only that, but your dad thinks that I want to get in bed with you. _

Ergh. If it was this frustrating to deal with the father of a demigod, Jason could only wonder what it was like dealing with Aphrodite. Then again—he'd rather face Gaia again than deal with Cupid or anyone with the power over _love. _

The moment they opened the door, Jason could hear Nico hold his breath.

Sitting at the small table at the end of the room were both Hazel and Frank—who were locked in intense conversation and fiddling with the cards set on the table. (Apparently everyone knew how to play Mythomagic except for Jason.)

"Nico!" Hazel stood to her feet the moment she saw her brother enter the room. Her lips curled into a pensive smile. "And Jason! We—we were waiting for you guys."

"Oh?" Suddenly Nico's voice was nothing above a hard whisper. From the corner of his eye, Jason saw the other demigod's demeanor change—torn between interest and discomfort. He looked green in the face again—ready to run.

His sister's face, in return, looked just as uncomfortable—swelling with emotions. Anxiety, anticipation, and pain. Hazel withdrew her breath and took heavy steps toward her brother. Cocoa-colored fingers reached out, gingerly pulling Nico's hand out of his pocket, and her gold-colored eyes glimmered with hesitation. "We need to talk. Can…we do that?"

Nico's gaze instantly flew to Jason, his orbs mixed with fear.

_Go. _The blonde nodded without hesitation and patted Nico on the back. "I'll be waiting."

The younger teen nodded back, with his eyebrows knitting together with one last bit of hesitation. Turning back to face his sister, Nico repeated the sentiment. "Where do you want to go?"

A smile curled across Hazels face, quiet and shy, but filled with hope. "Take your pick."

With a silent breath, both shadowtraveled out of the room—leaving Jason with his successor.

The hairs on his arms stiffened, bristling with nerves. Gods—hopefully things went well. He faced the Son of Mars—who looked as nervous as Jason felt, and went to smooth out the sheets on his bed.

Frank fiddled with the cards before stacking them in three piles. He bit his lip, filling out the praetor robes incredibly well—and Jason observed the other demigod. There was no doubt that Frank had grown up during the war—finally able to walk with the confidence of his body and hold his head high as a son of the War God—but he still fidgeted like a nervous kitten in bath water. "So…do you know what they're going to talk about?"

There wasn't curiosity in the question. Frank just knew.

That wasn't very nice of Hazel, Jason thought. "Yeah," he said, hands stuffing beneath his armpits. "Do you?"

Reluctance flickered over Frank's face—twisting with another emotion that made Jason's heart skip a beat. "Yeah."

"And?"

The thought of electrocuting Frank if his next words weren't positive ones quickly passed through Jason's mind. He shoved it away—even feeling the tips of his fingers hum.

"And it's quite frankly none of my business." The other teen shrugged nonchalantly and rubbed the back of his neck. Frank held himself steadier and looked to the other roman. "There's no problem with Nico being…you know. And Hazel understands that too." Quickly, Frank added, "She only told me because she wasn't sure how to act around him."

"So…she's okay with it." Jason interpreted Frank's words carefully and pulled his hands away from himself.

"You'd be surprised how often we walk in on Reyna and Annabeth making out," Frank said dryly. This time, his cheeks flourished apple-bottom red and he scratched his arm. "Th-that was an adjustment for her too, but it's just not what she grew up with. After she got through the shock of it, she realized how much Nico must have trusted her to tell his secret."

"And?"

"And that's what they're going to talk about right now. She just hopes Nico hasn't spent all this time hating him." This time Frank's demeanor contorted for the first time—with hardness that mimicked Jason's. "Anything else?"

Thinking back, the Son of Jupiter realized the tension in his words. Loosening his posture, it occurred to Jason that every single one of his muscles were tense—ready for an argument if need be. Frank was doing the same just now, like stating his leadership.

"Sorry," Jason apologized—though even that word felt like a snap. "I just—I care about him a lot."

"Yeah, dude—I get it. And I care about Hazel." Frank's wariness wore off into an anxious smile and he tapped the table. "This talk will be good for the both of them. I mean—I don't know what it's like to have siblings—other than Clarisse—who." His eye twitched, which said it all. "—well, scares the crud out of me. But, uh. They need each other."

"Yeah." And then Jason fell silent, with his hands beside him. He could only imagine what would happen. Nico was in the middle of coming to terms with his sexuality and coping without his other sister. This…well. This changed a lot. All in good ways.

"Do you…have any idea how this talk is going to turn out?" Frank interrupted his thoughts with fear dancing in his voice. "Because I'd like to know if Camp Jupiter is going to be covered in cursed riches and zombies."

Zombies. A glorified word for death.

Lips curling into a ghost of a smile, Jason made eye contact with the anxious teen. "Nico's been dealing with a lot since he found out he was a demigod. It's barely been four years with all of the stuff happening to him." Thinking back to his own fourteen years of this knowledge, Jason couldn't imagine not having time to recover from each of his losses. Nico literally jumped from knowing he was a demigod to losing his sister to the Hunters, to losing her _altogether_—to helping out in the war effort, to finding Hazel, to helping with another war—and to now, with his own personal vices.

"Which is why you've been seeking him out," Frank realized, filling in the blanks for his predecessor.

"Nico's got a gritty view of the world, but you can tell that he cherishes the people that he cares deeply for." Nodding his head slowly, Jason knew their minds hover back to the same person. Hazel. "Hazel's not a relationship that he's ready to lose just yet." Nico was barely over Bianca's death. Which—probably didn't help with Thalia being what the Daughter of Hades could have been.

"You're right," Frank agreed. "He was already a mess over you."

Uh. "Was he?"

"Well…" The current praetor's face changed, with his eyebrows knitting together in disbelief. "Yeah. I mean—what do you call shadowtraveling all the way to the Rockies in the middle of one of your sister's most important weeks? He tried not to let it show since Piper and Thalia and everyone else were already bawling their eyes out, but…yeah. He was devastated." As an afterthought, Frank added, "You've got my utmost respect, man. I don't know if I could gather the courage to uh…_bond_ with Nico the same way you have."

"He's really not that bad once you get to know him." As soon as the words left his mouth, Jason corrected himself. "He's not bad at all."

The image of a mischievous Nico sitting at the other end of Jason's empty living room conjured in his mind. He thought of the boy, with a bright red apple in his hand and a wry smirk hidden beneath a wary mask—and then the same face morphed into a triumphant demeanor after knocking Jason off his feet—to the concern that flickered beneath irritation, where not everything was a proud proposition—but a sweet gesture. Like—like—

Like bringing a basket of apples to someone's front door after a tense argument, just to make sure Jason was eating. Or restocking ambrosia squares when Jason was too tired to get them himself. Wandering around Los Angeles and spending five hours trying to fix Cindy the Water Nymph's fire hydrant after she kept breaking it. Insisting on finding a home for a stray cat.

Asking to be invited into Jason's home, instead of running away from Camp Halfblood or Camp Jupiter, when Nico knew telling Hazel his secret could destroy him. Going all the way to the Rockies during the most important evening of his life—instead of staying with Hazel and enjoying their first Thanksgiving together as a family.

Saving Jason's life and consoling Thalia when she blamed herself.

Nico was amazing.

"You…don't think he's going to kill me…," Frank said steadily—with a touch of ridiculous fear in his voice. "Y-You know, now that I know? Like…he's not going to maim me or something, right?"

Jason shook his head with humble amusement. It was only a few minutes ago that Nico threatened his life for Jason jumping into a tree. "You're too important to Hazel. She'd probably kill him before he killed you."

For a second time that day, Frank stared at him with intent. He'd yet to master a hard glare—but what Frank _could_ muster let people know he was thinking. "Yeah. But I'm not important to him like you are."

Later, the siblings of both Pluto and Hades returned hand-in-hand, with a huge smile on Hazel's lips and a subtle one on Nico's. A glimmer shone in the fourteen-year-old's eyes, something so strong that it lit the darkness in his irises. Once Jason saw it, he knew it wasn't there before. It was a sign—like a huge burden was lifted off the boy's shoulders.

They went back to the cafeteria for a late lunch and discussed menial things—carefully tiptoeing around the subject all of them knew about. No doubt, Nico was aware that Frank knew. Fortunately, no blood was shed that day.

Instead they focused on Jason—particularly after Will gave him another lecture.

"It's not that I don't understand that I need to be healed." Jason touched the injury over his torso, which was reduced to nothing but a swelled blemish. "But you wouldn't…you know. It's like trying to trap wind. It's just not going to happen."

"Maybe that's why you have trouble committing to one place."

Looking across the table, Jason saw Nico's eyes glaze over observantly. Anyone else who told him this would probably double over in fear and apologize. Judging by the looks Hazel and Frank gave, they were expecting for Jason to bite his head off.

"What do you mean?" No one understood that when it came to Nico, Jason had the patience of a saint. They had private talks like this all the time.

The Son of Hades shrugged nonchalantly and tore apart a bear claw. He gave the other half to the blond. "You've gotten all of these titles thrown at you since you were a toddler, Jason. The Son of Jupiter, the centurion to the Fifth Cohort—eventually a praetor to the _Twelfth Legion Fulminata_. Then as Camp Halfblood's first Roman Camp Leader. You're put in these positions, but they're not satisfying enough. They _confine_ you, like the walls of your hospital room. So you keep running. Flying."

The corner of Jason's lips curled into a befuddled smile. That sounded about right, now that someone could articulate it. "Are you saying that I can't land?"

Flickers of that mad genius fluttered in Nico's eyes. He looked amused, but hid it behind his stern mask. "I think you're waiting to be grounded. So to speak."

Jason liked the sound of that. "You know me better than I know myself, Nico di Angelo."

This time, an eyebrow raised and Jason knew he was satisfied for the day. Nico rolled his eyes. "You make it too easy."

Once they finished up their conversation, they found Frank and Hazel staring at them like they'd joined heads.

"What?" Jason asked.

"N—Nothing!" Hazel hastily responded. "Well—"

Frank cut her off, waving his hands. "It's not—"

"Really—"

"That important," both teens sputtered across the hospital table.

A frown fell across Nico's lips as he watched his sister—but he said nothing. All Jason could do is go along with it and maybe ask the younger teen later.

Finally, he yawned—signaling to his favorite demigod too many things.

"You need a nap," Nico concluded.

"I slept for three days," Jason countered.

"How badly do you want me to kick your ass when you get around to training again?" The other demigod snorted, his eyes narrowing at the Son of Jupiter.

Oh. Smirk curling across Jason's lips, he took in the gleam of excitement that shone in the gaze of the Son of Hades. "So you're saying that you're going to kick my butt as soon as I'm out of the hospital?"

"You did say I know you better than you know yourself." Nico's fingers reached for another pastry to spoil his sweet tooth. His tone was nonchalant—casual in a, _'Yeah, I killed a man last week and lost my shoe_,' kind of way. Unbeknownst to both Hazel and Frank, Nico's leg brushed against Jason's own as a message.

_I want you to get better. _

Jason smiled beneath his chalice and touched the younger teen's ankle with his slipper. _I know. _

When they were finished, Frank was needed for praetor duties. Jason, knowing he _would_ need an afternoon catnap, told them so. All the while, Nico looked torn between staying with Jason and going with his sister.

"You should go," Jason whispered when Hazel went to dump her tray.

Nico's face twisted with hesitation.

"I'll be fine for the afternoon. You have some lost time to make up with your sister." One of them should have had that opportunity. Smile gracing his lips, Jason brushed a hand over Nico's beneath the table.

The paler teen didn't look sold. His eyebrows knitted together before he nodded. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Okay. But you and Hazel—"

"I'll be back in an hour," Nico repeated, poignant. If Jason looked carefully, he would have been able to see that Nico didn't want to leave at all. Frank was right—once you were important to Nico, he would never abandon you.

Curling his hand into Nico's once more, Jason nodded, more understanding. "Okay."

He didn't know why, but Jason felt cold as he walked back to his room. And—alone, when he fell asleep.


	7. INTERMISSION II

-x-

**Intermission II**

-x-

Hazel was giving him funny looks ever since they left the cafeteria. She had a pleasant gleam in her gold eyes when she looked over to her brother, which only made Nico more self-conscious. He bit his tongue and refused to take notice, knowing that it would only strike the question Nico knew was hanging in her mind.

Instead, they bid farewell to Frank when he announced that he was needed back at the Forum with Reyna. Jason may have been the golden boy at camp that everyone buzzed about, but it didn't stop the need to organize and train campers as both praetors saw fit. He could only shake his head and ignore the looks given to him by New Romans and campers alike. Some saw him as _The Hero Who Saved Our Golden Boy. _Others gave him uneasy looks and wondered why he was still hanging around.

Those looks Nico was used to. He was just happy that Hazel and he were on speaking terms again.

Their talk had been a long one—longer than Nico would have liked to be away from Jason (he shook his head—Jason _wasn't_ _going_ _to_ _die_ just because he wasn't there. Nico cursed his own paranoia for coming up with something so ludicrous), but one that was definitely needed.

He missed Hazel as much as he thought he would, being away from her for a few days. Watching Thalia dote on Jason in her rough, affectionate way only made Nico feel worse about the circumstance. Part of him—the angry part—told him that he should have just pulled Hazel aside again. That he should have just told her that _he was who he was_ and Hazel was his _sister_, and that Hazel should have _trusted him. _But the other part—the part that loved her like the brother he was—just made it harder to like himself.

Nico thought back to last night when his frustration had gotten the better of him and could only cringe. He wasn't the type of person to break down—especially when there was no one around him to break down to. Jason coaxed it out of him in the earnest way he knew.

The tenor of Jason's voice nowadays was all Nico needed to feel even an ounce of sanity. The way Jason smiled warmly at him like the perfect idiot he was—even if he _was _gnawing at Nico's nerves because of the liquid ambrosia—made life worth living. And—

Ugh. His thoughts were crossing the line between sappy and unnecessary. Again.

Wrinkling his nose, Nico pushed his ministrations away and stared at the sugar cubes Hazel placed in his hands once they reached the stables. She apologized outright for avoiding Nico for so long—and told him how she didn't feel worthy as his sister anymore.

_I'm not disgusted_, she'd told him quickly, soon after. Her eyes glowed their gorgeous hue of gold and she clasped her hands over his. _Just…surprised, at first. And then honored. _She was so _glad_ that he told her, since they were siblings.

He almost cried when she hugged him.

After that was a flurry of awkward questions on her part, followed by a lot of apologies—_When did you know? Did Bianca know? Do you like anyone right now? Oh—sorry, s-sorry you don't have to tell me!_ Nico, visibly flustered by the questions, only smiled at her.

In present time, he sat on a haystack away from the pegasi while Hazel zigzagged back and forth from each stable and shook his head in disbelief. Once the war was over, she'd been promoted to centurion because of Gwendolyn's death and Zhang's rise to praetor. Yet that didn't stop her from doing what she loved by tending to all of the horses that the Twelfth Legion Fulminata owned. Hazel made one of the most hated duties at camp one of her favorites.

"So," Hazel said once the last apple was given out. "Jason's not angry that you're…you know. With me instead of him, right?"

"He's the one who suggested it." Shrugging, Nico plopped a sugar cube into his mouth and eyed her warily when she studied him. He knew that look that she was giving him. And it wasn't one that he was overly fond of.

Still, Jason's request fluttered through his mind again. Jason had a talent of making Nico feel better—which was good. Very good.

And bad, he chastised himself.

"I can't believe that he's known about you since July," Hazel said wistfully. She plopped down beside him and plucked a sugar cube out of Nico's palm. "He really is amazing."

_And here we go._

Nico let the sugar dissolve in his mouth before gulping hard. He wasn't one of the people freaking out in the waiting room—not as loudly, anyway. Still, Hazel knew how to read him when he didn't notice. She was probably—_definitely_ formulating an image in her mind as they spoke. "What makes you say that?"

"Nothing," Hazel said quickly—almost as quickly as she'd done at the cafeteria. Instead, golden eyes narrowed at her brother and she studied him thoughtfully. "But he went out of his way to go and _find _you, Nico. I mean…everyone was scratching their head and trying to figure out why he didn't return to either camp. Even Percy."

A dagger hit him hard at the mention of Percy. Nico insisted on ignoring it.

"He was stubborn about it," Nico admitted. He rolled his eyes, thinking back to September. "Part of me gave in just so that he'd finally leave me alone."

But that wasn't the truth. Far from it, if Nico was honest with himself. He never would have thought that a simple visit to amuse Jason Grace's current "goal" would turned into looking forward to seeing him once or twice a week.

Every time he looked to Jason in his hospital bed or caught a glance at the Son of Jupiter wincing when he moved too abruptly reminded Nico how terrified he'd been when he shadowtraveled to the Rockies. Each breath he saw and _felt_ Jason take was a little more soothing than the last.

"I didn't know what to think of him," Hazel admitted, pulling Nico out of his thoughts again. She tied her hair behind her, revealing the lovely cheekbones she'd inherited from the lovely Marie Levesque. Nico often was called a skeleton with some skin thrown in somewhere, but Hazel was the cruel beauty of jewels and riches if it were given a warm face and child-like eyes. (Still, never let that fool you, he mused. Hazel was an absolute terror on the battlefield_._) "I mean, I knew him for a month before he went missing and all. And he welcomed me with open arms in the Fifth Cohort."

"I would have maimed him otherwise," he snorted. Nico remembered those days before the prophecy ran its course. Pluto was treated worse than Neptune by the Romans, while Jason was held on a pedestal because of the _Jupiter Optimus Maximus. _As praetor, he was a stern person and a stickler for the rules—the complete opposite of Percy. Being away from New Rome for eight months and losing his memories washed away that sternness once he was exposed to the Greek world.

Jason looked happier, for one thing. If he was ever happy at all with the New Romans.

_No. _Nico shook his head. That wasn't right.

Thinking back to how defensive he had been when Nico pointed that out (a mistake on his part—Nico had a forgotten tendency to ramble when he knew something too well. Jason was too ignorant to pick up on his embarrassment.), Jason didn't abandon his heritage as a Roman. He was too stubborn to admit that he might have liked being a Child of _Zeus_ more than a Child of Jupiter, but Nico's brain broke at the idea of Jason suddenly wearing leather jackets and black eyeliner like his sister. He was just waiting for Jason to crack with the desire for social interaction.

"I know you would have." Hazel laughed softly under her breath and nudged him in the elbow. "When we were on the Argo II though—after Percy and Annabeth were taken by Tartarus and he took the reigns as leader, I barely talked to him. After Hecate told me that I would have to control the Mist…he was supportive. And he basically threw a tantrum whenever someone mentioned you in a bad light."

Nico rolled his eyes and bit the inside of his mouth. He was used to the nervous looks Zhang and McLean exchanged, Valdez's backhanded comments—and by now, Jason's unnerving nature barely brushed him. But it was still utterly stupid of him. They barely knew each other back then.

"He has this thing about him," the Greek demigod mused wryly, "where he puts this ridiculous amount of importance in his comrades."

"It's why it was easier to persuade the Legion to take me in," Hazel reminded him. "Why our team was able to survive until we made it to the Necromanteion."

"I know." Jason was without a doubt a natural born leader—which stemmed from the fact that he empathized with every one of his teammates and could move armies with his words. Before Jason let Nico into the little world he reigned, Nico would have been fooled to believe that soldiers followed the Son of Jupiter because he was that—a Son of Jupiter.

Which was what a lot of people believed. Jason had all of these expectations thrust upon him the moment he was born—to be a leader, to be perfect, and to be the golden boy.

Nico had plenty of issues to sort out on his own, but he wouldn't have been able to take that much exposure based on his bloodline half as well as Jason did. He felt an insurmountable degree of hatred for Jason after their run-in with Cupid—but with every one of Hazel's words, it only made him think of how much _easier_ Jason made it for him to accept himself.

"So…do you like him then?"

A solemn smile curled against Nico's lips. "I can't afford to think like that."

Hazel sat up abruptly from their position, with her eyes more alert than before. It'd definitely been the topic of discussion between Frank and her in the cafeteria, then. "But why not?"

"Well for starters, he's _straight_, Hazel."

"Just because he likes girls doesn't mean you can't like him."

"It's every reason why I _shouldn't._" He learned his lesson the first time when it came to Percy. Nico remembered being that ten-year-old boy—the one who absolutely adored the idea of being a demigod with all the perks of Mythomagic cards and innocently—_semi-casually and hoping it wasn't true_—asking if that pretty blonde girl was Percy's girlfriend. Everything after Bianca's death made that stupid crush and his sexuality harder on him.

But it was Jason, his own personal savior, who made Nico feel better. He was embarrassed to no end for falling asleep in Jason's hospital bed—along with all of the other ridiculously blithe frolics Jason pulled in his ambrosia-induced delusions—but. Falling asleep with Jason was different from an arm draped over the shoulder or a kiss on the hand with the words _Ghost King _at those lips.

It scared Nico how fond he was of it. Of dozing off next to Jason—another human being—another _boy_—to the lullaby of the other demigod's heartbeat.

But it wasn't just because he'd slept so close to a boy. It was because that boy was _Jason._

"Nico," Hazel cut him off with disbelief in her voice, "oh my gods, you're _blushing_."

Ugh.

"Of course I like him," Nico murmured under his breath. It burned in his throat like saying the word _gay_ did—yet it pained him even more. Heat swelled in his cheeks and Nico wretchedly looked to the ground. "But he's my _friend_. That's all we can be."

He would rather be _dead _than ruin the relationship they had. There was a bitter irony in all of this: he was finally getting over Percy, but at the cost of screwing up his friendship with Jason.

Part of him wondered if his plea to save Jason meant sacrificing the idea of a normal love life. Well—as _normal_ as a gay fourteen-year-old demigod could actually achieve. Taking in a harsh breath, Nico ate his last sugar cube. He was finally able to _say_ gay—in his mind and aloud to those he trusted around him—but making that a reality was an entirely different obstacle. Having a crush on an unachievable person—on someone that the camps basically admired _like_ a god twice in a row—did nothing for his self esteem.

Having a crush on one of the few people that made him feel like a decent human being just made it worse.

"Yeah…" Hazel's voice trailed off and she fiddled with the loose ends of her cinnamon colored hair. Sliding off the hay, she flashed her brother a look of concern, eyebrows furrowed together. "But it's going to eat you up inside if you don't do something about it."

"No it's not."

"_Nico._" Hazel reached over and curled a hand over Nico's. He almost jumped at the force of her tone. "You said you trusted me enough as your sister to tell me your secret. And I _know _when something's eating you up."

Nico blinked.

"I'd be a bad sister if I didn't." Cheeks blazing pink, she looked to him like she was proving a point.

"Hazel." He shook his head and touched her arm. "How could you have _known_ I was gay if I never _talked_ about it?" They were a different time period.

The things Nico knew about Hazel's past life involved being berated as the witch's daughter and dealing with harsh nuns—with absolutely no exposure to…_queers. _It amazed him now how insistently she was pushing the subject of his pathetic love life, regardless of how unfazed she was about Annabeth and Reyna.

"Still."

"Still, nothing." Withdrawing his next breath, Nico pushed away all thoughts of Jason and focused on his beloved sister. He often had trouble defining the relationship he held with their father, but allowing Hazel to keep her place in the mortal realm gave Nico a reason to respect with the God of Death even an ounce. "I'm just glad that you know."

A smile curled over Nico's lips, matched by the one that smoothed over Hazel's face. She sighed quaintly and curled a hand over Nico's, her touch teeming with content.

He couldn't imagine ever going days without his sister ever again.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek and laughed when a horse whinnied for her presence. With a quick apology, she tended to it—and came back, with the same hesitant look across her face. "Jason's been awfully affectionate with you he woke up."

"He's been high on liquid ambrosia since then. It doesn't count."

"But you're letting it happen." Gold eyes narrowed at him before he could summon a response. "I saw you two holding hands under the table."

"Ugh." Nico couldn't think of a response to that. He ran his fingers over his skull ring, with the dull red fluttering back to his cheeks as he remembered the kiss on his knuckles. Jason had sobered as he healed, but he was acting ridiculously childish.

_Like trapping wind_, Jason reminded him. Flirting with Nico was probably the only way he could exert energy without picking up a sword.

It was a cruel thing to do to himself, NIco knew. Part of him enjoyed the fact Jason was giving him this kind of attention, even if it was hazardous to his health. But the idea of Jason actually pursuing him—asked for Nico to _ground_ him was the mean punch line that was never to be.

If anything, Jason would probably apologize a thousand times after they left the hospital for his bad behavior. And Nico would get mad at that idiot because the epitome of their relationship involved Jason doting on him, and making it _impossible_ to be mad.

Of course—Jason had asked him if all of this touching as okay. Nico had shrugged and stuttered an, _"I don't mind_," when those blue eyes flashed a look of concern—and once that was over with, they'd adopted a warm and fuzzy ritual of holding hands and resting against each other.

"Jason's straight," Nico repeated. He drew in a sharp breath. "And he's a Child of _Jupiter._"

(A low blow, maybe. he was stricken with as many comparisons with his father as Jason was to the Lord of the Sky.)

_Hades_ knew what would happen when Jason started dating again. He could land any girl he wanted based on that title and his smile alone. Nico's heart missed three beats just thinking about it—with the same ache that'd surfaced the day Nico found out Percy and Annabeth were finally an item. Only worse.

It was probably better to draw the line and tell Jason to quit it, Nico decided. His heart would hurt less then, when Jason fell in love and found "_the one._"

"Oh, Nico…" Hazel bit her lip and curled a hand over his arm empathetically.

He ignored the sorrow in her voice and forced a smile on his face for her sake. Standing up, he spun the shadows at his feet and opened up a portal. "C'mon. We need to make a trip to the Rockies."

-x-

_Great_.

Nico looked back to the line in front of him after McLean, who sat near the wall with Travis Stoll, averted her gaze when he caught her staring. There were ten minutes left before he had to be back at Jason's hospital room. Hazel immediately lit up at the sight of their old teammate and went over to greet her before she dismissed herself to check the Fifth Cohort barracks. She'd been the one who dragged him into the New Rome café, advising him to sneak Jason some treats that weren't hospital-friendly.

Solace would probably have a cow, but Nico's heart fluttered at the little grin Jason would give him for bringing brownies. The poor guy was losing it as it was.

"Brownies, huh? Those are Jason's favorite."

Dark eyes flitted to the right, where McLean had arrived to great him after the cashier handed him the paper bag. She shook the cup in her hand, ice jingling.

"I came to get a refill." McLean stared at him warily and visibly bit her lip. They'd stood on equal ground in mutual silence on the days before Jason woke up, but the tension had been palpable. She knew that Jason had gone down to Los Angeles…for _him_, and Nico knew that she knew. "I know you give send me death glares when I'm not looking."

Uh. "That's not under my repertoire of powers." He flushed red at the thought of Piper catching him glaring—Thalia usually busied him with something else so Jason's room didn't become too crowded.

"Still." McLean studied him carefully—suddenly looking more in her element. Which Nico didn't like one bit. "I didn't know that I could speak French until I was babbling in front of Boreas in Quebec. It's apparently the _Language of Love. _Gods claim the weirdest things as their own."

"You're reducing my talents to _death glares_?"

"More like stroking your ego and giving you an extra item to add to your repertoire of talents since you're such a powerful demigod." She arched an eyebrow in the air, casually exchanging words with him and making a face between half a smile and half a grimace.

He wrinkled his nose with a smirk, hearing part of Jason's wit in his ex-girlfriend's voice, and paused—realizing this was the longest string of words McLean had ever exchanged with him. This was her attempt at a conversation with him.

McLean's kaleidoscope eyes and satisfied-looking smile blurred Nico's thoughts for a brief moment as she worked her charm as a Daughter of Aphodite."About Jason—"

Too bad he was gay. "Why are we discussing Jason?"

"Because his best interest is something that we both care about."

Grip tightening over the paper bag, Nico's gaze bore holes at the Daughter of Aphrodite—waiting for it. Stop distracting Jason. Let him come back to New Rome or Long Island. Don't be the nuisance he needs to take care of.

"He's a lot happier now that he's found you." Instead, she thanked the cashier when he returned with her refill. "Jason was pretty lost when he came to visit me in Malibu."

Snort. "That's because he waited an entire month to _'find' _me without anything to do."

"No." McLean managed to pull him aside without actually touching him—to which Nico admitted he was impressed. She looked to the ground, nervously biting her lip, and sighed. "Do you know why we broke up?"

"Because you couldn't…" Nico thought it wiser to cut himself off when he realized that no, that was _definitely_ not a question he should answer. Not with his careful tactlessness or with those eyes suddenly glaring icicles at him. "Go ahead."

"Because in the nine months we were dating, he never said 'I love you' to me once." Pressing her lips to her cup, McLean took a nice long sip before shrugging. "And then he told me that between getting all of his memories back and the war, he didn't know what he wanted. He stopped knowing when the Argo II first set sail."

That sounded about right. Including the frenzy of whether or not Jason was returning to Camp Halfblood or Camp Jupiter.

"But you're good for him. I think that it's good that he went to find you. He doesn't look as confused anymore." McLean's eyes flickered hesitantly before she reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So thank you, for taking care of Jason."

_What. _Nico's demeanor twisted with disbelief. He moved to slip out of her grip instinctively—and was met with another kiss on the cheek.

"_Keep_ taking care of Jason. Please." A smile graced her lips before Nico watched her she walk off and return to a giddy Travis Stoll.


	8. Act IV: The Best Friend, cont'd

-x-

**Chapter IV: **The Best Friend, cont'd

-x-

An hour later, Jason woke up to the sound of a paper bag settle on his overbed table. He peered up from his pillow sleepily, taking in the sight of Nico shutting the blinds on his window.

The boy shuffled back and forth—quite, while Jason traced his path—before turning to meet him. "Good nap?"

"Yeah." He felt sluggish from over a week of inactivity. The blood in his veins was replaced with sand from days of disuse, and all Jason did was sleepand tucker himself out from too much unused energy. So far all the hospital taught him was that he didn't want to come back to one any time soon. "I'm going crazy here, Neeks."

Nico snorted softly, with a humming laughter that knew how to twist all of Jason's whines and moans into the most amazing symphony in the world. "That's part of why you can't stay in one place, Jason."

Jason was willing to complain a thousand more times just to watch the amusement spark across the other boy's face because of his own idiocy. "Then ground me."

The younger teen froze—his body tense at the words echoed across the room.

Pressing his cheek against the pillow, blue eyes locked onto Nico's tense stature while Jason's heart somersaulted in his chest. Was that too forward? Something like that was a bold move even for Jason—but it felt like the right words. The right rhythm.

But—regardless of Jason's impulse, he would never forgive himself if he lost Nico's trust.

A nervous silence suddenly hung in the air.

"You're not ridiculously sick anymore, you moron." Nico rolled his eyes, a gentle refute beneath his breath, and turned to unroll the paper bag. "It'd be…._wrong_, if I hopped onto your bed right now."

"Wrong because you feel like you can't," Jason responded without missing a beat, "or because you don't want to?" His tone was patient, but on the inside, the blonde couldn't help but demand for Nico to just say _yes _already.

Instead, Nico did none of that. He stood his ground with both hands coiled into fists and lips pressed together. Tight. _Scared_.

Oh.

Jason berated himself—and realized the subtext of his words. The shock hit like a cold shower.

_Crap. _

"You don't have to, Nico—I. Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Holy Cerberus.

"I—am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Wow. Just. _Wow. _Jason sat up, suddenly more aware of what he'd just done. He'd just…crossed a very sacred line in their friendship by propositioning the other teen.

"It's _fine_, Jason."

There was no way in _Hades_ that it was. Jason felt worse than scum.

Across from him, Nico's shoulders settled. Yet his expression was still suspicious and wary—like that for the first time since their friendship formed. "I brought brownies."

It was an empty attempt to change the subject. Jason was never more grateful in his life. Still—his heart raced with shame and he wanted to crawl under a rock.

"You said the ambrosia squares tasted like brownies from your favorite bakery in New Rome." Nico pulled the said desert out of the little brown bag. "I figured you'd like to have the real thing instead of through a needle in your arm."

Wow. Feeling his heart ache, Jason took the brownies out of the Son of Hades' hand and broke it apart with the tips of his fingers. "Thanks, Nico."

He could see Nico's fingers curl inward toward himself the moment Jason took the delicacy from him, and bore the scrutiny of Nico's tired eyes as he nibbled at a chocolate chip.

Crap. Just…_Crap. _

They sat in silence, with Jason throwing brownie bits in his mouth and Nico nipping at the edge of his. They used to carry a warm taste in Jason's mouth—like home. During the war, Roman brownies felt like they didn't fit the mouth of a Greek Son of Jupiter—and now, Jason felt like he was choking them down with shame.

Suddenly Nico stopped chewing—and instead looked up to Jason with speculative eyes. "We're okay. Right?"

Cocking his head, Jason took in the sight of the Son of Hades once more—reluctant, confused, and frightened. Jason was the only relationship Nico had apart from Hazel that could be considered close. Frank's moot point earlier—how distraught Nico was while they waited for news about Jason's condition—rang in his head like an alarm. How privileged he was to have Nico's respect _and _his trust. Nothing would change how Jason felt honored that he was one of those people—but he knew that he was walking on thin ice. Flirting earlier when they were in the garden was bad too.

Plus…just what he was _doing_ made everything worse too. Why hurt the boy who you couldn't love?

And—argh. That _love_ word.

None of this would make Jason question their relationship if it wasn't for that word.

"—son," said the other boy quietly, and Nico was less sure of himself. His tone melted tensely—coating in fragile armor. "We're _okay_. Right…?"

"Yeah," Jason muttered—and he looked the younger teen in the eye. "Yeah, yeah. We're okay. I'm just…maybe I'm still delusional. No—uh." Breathing between his teeth, Jason reached over and placed a hand against the other teen's jacket. He locked gazes with Nico firmly, eyebrows furrowed. "We're okay, only if you're okay with this. If not, we…we can talk about this."

Hesitation fluttered across Nico's expression as he scrutinized Jason once more. His lips swelled with a twitch, and he looked away aversely like Jason was unworthy of his gaze. "Yeah. We're okay."

-x-

"Here."

"What—is…is this my gladius?" Jason's eyebrows raised above his hairline as the imperial gold was placed in his hand. Disbelief flickered in blue orbs as he inspected it—but sure enough, that was his sword. The tip of the blade was singed from use as a conduit for lightning. His fingers molded into the hilt of the sword, turning it into his well-known extended limb, and Jason held his breath. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nico smile. "Where did you find this?"

"Sticking out of a ledge in the Rockies." Nico leaned back against his chair and nudged his head in the direction of Camp Jupiter. "I took Hazel out there with me. She pointed her fingers and then it came flying into her hand like it belonged with her."

He had a sword. Nico brought his sword back. _Jason had his sword again. _"Did I ever mention that you're my best friend?"

Nico's nose scrunched, with little wrinkles at the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "You don't really mean that."

"Of course I do." Jason flipped the blade to inspect it—recognizing every blunt scathe that remained like battle scars. Looking up, blue eyes shone against astonished dark grey, and the corner of Jason's lips curled into a smile. "You've been taking care of me since September, man. Not only that, but you _saved_ my sister and me and sat with her for seventeen long hours while I was getting a spear out of my chest. I know that killed you. And then…this, all of this."

Red fluttered across Nico's cheeks and he looked away—causing a pang of sadness to shoot up Jason's heart. Ever since the incident a few days ago, the boy had a hard time Jason in the eye. The Son of Hades wanted to say something, but something inside Nico wouldn't allow him to do so.

Jason knew what that really meant was that he lost part of Nico's trust.

Still—he tried what he could to remind Nico he was there. That being said, Jason reached over to curl a hand over the younger boy's lap. "You're my friend, Nico. My best friend." He thought of the incident again—how Jason needed someone to _ground_ him because he couldn't land. If he took the romance possibility out of the equation, then—yes. In some perfect way, Nico was what Jason needed. "I couldn't do this without you."

Since the touch, the Son of Hades' eyes had narrowed to the placement of Jason's fingers. When the words left the blonde's mouth, the wary gaze returned to blue eyes—and after some debate, a more self-assuring smile graced the lips of one Nico di Angelo. "Then you're my best friend too."

The Son of Jupiter's heart hammered happily in his chest.

A knock on the door caught both of their attentions. Followed by a—"Hey, Superman, you up for another visitor?"

"Leo?"

Sure enough, the door popped open and the curly mop of the Latino Santa's Elf peered through the cracks. A mischievous grin decorated Leo's face as he looked to the Son of Jupiter, and Jason mimicked it.

"Leo! Hey, man!"

"No, no, don't get up—let me inspect you. Gotta figure out how badly your kryptonite poisoning is." Leo rubbed his chin thoughtfully and inspected the blond—the smile never once leaving his face.

"Erggh." Behind him, Percy slowly appeared at his side—green in the face from airsickness. Sea green eyes inspected Jason themselves as Percy oriented himself with the room, and then he plopped onto the hospital bed. "Hey man. _Sickness_. Hate the air. Gross."

"Good to see you too, man." Jason split into a grin and bumped fists with the Son of Hephaestus. Amusement teemed in Jason's smile as he looked over to the Son of Poseidon—and he leaned forward so only Leo could hear. "What happened to him?"

"Airsickness. You know your dad hates him. Promised to shoot him out of the sky the next time Percy dared to be in his domain and stuff. Yada, yada." Leo batted a hand casually like it was no big deal—his hands moving twenty places in one gesture. Still, his pupils flickered worriedly to his co-inhabitant back at New York. That was probably why Leo was nervously fidgeting to begin with. Not only that—but this was the first time Jason and he had seen each other in four months.

"You were in the air fifty percent of the time during the war," Jason pointed out. Sometimes he thought Percy could be a real baby over his fear. If Jason's gladius was a second limb, then the wind was Jason's essence. Nico mused once that Jason was probably a cloud in his past life.

Percy Jackson—the only known Son of Neptune, the once-Praetor to the Twelfth Legion, slayer of Kronos, survivor of Tartarus—and contributor to the ultimate downfall of Gaea—only groaned, like a wounded puppy. "That doesn't count. You were on the Argo II, too. Shooting me down meant you were coming with me."

In some roundabout way it was like saying Jupiter actually cared for his son. Sort of.

Since before Thanksgiving, Jason and Leo kept contact with each other at least twice a week. A few days after Jason came to, someone finally had the common sense to contact Percy and Leo. Nico—surprisingly, had come up with the suggestion.

That being said, Jason's eyes fell to the boy—who looked queasy and uncomfortable with the current situation.

Right. Percy.

Suddenly Jason's stomach knotted with jealousy—but he couldn't figure out why. The past few months, Jason was so caught up with coaxing Nico into a comfortable position with himself that he forgot about why being gay frustrated the younger boy so much. It was the only other day that Nico confided in Jason about his feelings—why liking guys—liking _Percy_ pained him so much.

_If you and Jackson died, _the miser in the back of his head hummed, _who do you think Nico would mourn for? _

Shaking the thought out of his head, Jason tapped Nico with his own leg and smiled when the young teen looked up. "I think Hazel needed help with something. You should go see her."

He was so used to Nico's soft smiles and airy sarcasm that seeing a cynical, discomforted demeanor on the younger boy's face made Jason wonder if this was the same person. However, there was a spout of relief in dark orbs meant just for Jason. Nico opened his mouth to speak—and Jason finished the sentence for him.

"I'll see you later." Probably in an hour. Longer, depending when Leo and Percy left.

Standing to his feet, Nico nodded quietly and made his way toward the door. Only to be stopped by Leo.

"Hey." They stood parallel to each other—with Leo's hands placed over Nico's shoulders—for roughly two seconds before Nico slapped them away. Still, Leo continued with wild gestures in the air. His gaze narrowed—from one mad genius to the other—and his expression sobered. "Thank you, for saving him. I can't thank you enough for doing that."

Nico's lips twitched into something unreadable—with the words _You're welcome_ at them. His cheeks tinged the softest shade of pink—hidden beneath the layers of his hair.

_Oh my gods. _

Jason couldn't believe what he was seeing. In retrospect, all the interaction everyone had with Nico was on the _Argo II._ Grouchy Nico, angry Nico. Frustrated Nico, brotherly Nico. He spoke when spoken to and when he had new information that would help them in the war effort—otherwise, he amused himself by the fact everyone on the ship feared him. This—however, with all of the temperamental insecurities beaten out of him—proved to have no motive for him to speak.

Leo didn't seem to notice. Instead, he slapped Nico wholeheartedly on the shoulders and grinned in Jason's direction. "You owe him big time, you know."

"He has my life." The corner of Jason's lip rose as he looked up to Nico—who rolled his eyes.

"Erghh." Nico's voice was too soft for Leo to hear. Instead, he disappeared out the door and the Son of Hephaestus planted himself in the chair next to his longtime best friend.

Once the door shut, Leo's eccentricity faded away. His gaze hardened—lips tight, hand tinkering Morse Code nervously into the table, and the other making circles with his finger. "Can I…see it?"

Jason obliged with ease. He pulled off the sleeve of his hospital gown, where the wound was nothing more than a round scar front and back. Leo's eyes flickered with heat—anger boiling like wildfire. For a moment, Jason saw the gaze of the boy he woke up to on an August morning—caring and powerful.

The shorter teen let out a low whistle and reached out to rub a thumb over the wound. "You feel like Swiss cheese?"

"Without the holes," Jason assured. "I felt holier last week."

"Holier. Oh, gods, you are the cheesiest person I know, Superman." Leo wiped a fake tear out of his eyes and sniffled. "I'm so proud of you."

A quiet laugh passed between them.

Jason's eyes fell back to Percy, who'd placed a hand over his eyes to control motion sickness. The same Son of Poseidon finally sat up, green in the face. He crossed his arms over his chest with a tired look—and narrowed his sights to both Leo and Jason.

"You…want me to get Will over?" Jason asked inquisitively. The knots in his stomach coiled tighter—especially since he knew the look on Percy's face.

A gesture of surrender—at least for that moment—passed between them and Percy bowed his head. "I think I need a walk. Or to go jump in a bucket of water."

"How long do you guys plan on staying?"

"Hopefully just the weekend." Leo patted Jason's wound with meticulous fingers—then stuffed them in his pockets. "We've got finals coming up soon. Sally won't let us—"

"Who's Sally?"

"Percy's Mom." "My mom."

Leo and Jason both looked back to the brunet, whose hands were currently stuffed in the pockets of his pants. Percy's attention turned to the window—to the lights, to the suns painted on the walls—anything other than Leo and Jason themselves.

Which was kind of annoying.

Jason didn't say it often—because most of Percy's ill-mannered humor usually went without care—but Percy was kind of being a jerk. While he suppressed his own irritation against the Greek demigod, it was getting hard to do when Percy didn't find Jason worthy of his time.

Percy scrunched his nose and pushed wavy bangs out of his eyes. "I think I'll go visit camp grounds. I'll…meet up with you later, Leo."

"You sure?" Jason asked—if only to get a rise out of the other teen. The tone of voice he took was better met for the battlefield—with clever taunts that let you know what you were up against. He didn't have it in him to be a smartass—that was up Annabeth, Percy's, or even Leo's level. (The latter two usually got themselves into deep shit because of it.) But he knew how to hold his ground when need be.

"I'm sure." Percy took a harsh breath—either from lasting airsickness or from irritation. Regardless, his eyes met Jason's, challenging every bit of the blonde's tone.

Hey. Percy had no reason to be mad here. Just looking at the guy reminded Jason of Nico's hurt face—and the words Nico spoke. Percy went with everything and he _still_ didn't trust a boy that'd literally given up _everything_ for him.

It just made Jason _angry. _

"We should spar before you leave," Jason suggested in a steady tone. His arms crossed over his chest.

The corner of Percy's lip twitched, eyes never wavering. "We should."

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jason turned to his friend with a disapproving look. Leo had long busied himself by examining the walls and fiddling with the pockets of his jacket—which only made Jason a little more annoyed. "Is there a reason for him being a jerk?"

"He's airsick."

"That's no excuse, man."

"Oh _please_, Jay. You were egging him on, not calling him out." Leo snorted and sagged in his seat with both hands jingling in his pockets. Fluid brown eyes looked up to Jason—with a sliver of mirth burning in his orbs. "_Excuse me_, I didn't realize I had to whip my dick out for this conversation. Let me know next time so we can measure."

Jason's cheeks stained red and he frowned. Leo, on the other hand, simply looked at him with the joy mischief in his gaze.

They sat in contemplative silence, where Jason examined his old best friend—who he hadn't seen in almost four months. Leo must have grown a few inches, with his jaw becoming more defined under his mane of curly hair. His shoulders were more prominent, with a bit of taut muscle peeking out from under his light hoodie. If Jason didn't know any better, then he would have thought that Percy'd given Leo some sword fighting lessons.

The look in Leo's eyes still remained—morphing from his frenzied sarcasm to the same demeanor that it held back at Zeus's Cabin. They hadn't actually talked about that stuff since then. Not face-to-face.

"So," Jason started quietly, "you're living with Percy now?"

Leo bit the inside of his mouth and tapped his fingers against his knees. "Yeah."

The whole story unfolded from there. Chiron found Leo busying himself in Bunker 9 since Jason's departure. Normally campers were allowed to come or go as they pleased—and most usually did, with their mortal parent. However, Leo's mother had already passed away a long time ago—leaving the boy an orphan. Usually there were a handful of campers that stayed year-round to begin with—but Leo had literally spent the beginning of his stay up to the present preparing the Argo II and helping out in the war effort. Not only that, but his two closest best friends decided to stay on the other side of the United States for two very different reasons.

Chiron's whole intention was to have Leo feeling like himself. Thus—as dangerous as it was, Leo was sent to Goode High School where Percy happened to run into him. Through Percy, an expecting Mrs. Jackson-Blofis offered a home to one orphaned Leo Valdez—and refused to let the half-Latino boy go anywhere else.

Thus—Leo had a home he wouldn't dare run away from and a mother figure for the first time in eight years. He adored it. The words never left his mouth—but Jason picked up on how much Leo must have treasured the woman.

"She never lets me get away with anything. I wash the dishes twice a week and help her do some house chores since she can't lift anymore. We spent two hours yesterday figuring out baby names." The corner of Leo's lip raised with an excited smile—which split into an ecstatic, satisfied grin. "How do you like the name, _Leona_?"

He was doing a lot better than Jason could have hoped for.

It was almost enough for Jason to _almost_ feel bad. After all, he did ask for Percy to take care of his best friend for him.

"How does she?" Jason counteracted with amusement teeming in his voice.

"She loves it." Another smile curling against his lips, Leo tapped his fingers against the table—and Jason automatically knew the summation. "Well—either Leona or Ariel. Personally I could go for either. Or both. _Ariel Leona Blofis._"

"Blowfish?"

"Blofis." Tilting his head back with snickers, Leo shook his head with delight. "I love it."

He was definitely in better hands.

Jason wondered if he should push his luck and ask about what he'd seen a few weeks ago. The Iris Message where Percy was awfully happy cuddling with Leo. They didn't mention it then—instead passing over the subject like they were talking about the weather. But now—Jason could only wonder.

"So what does that make you and Percy then?"

Leo froze at the sudden inquiry.

The blonde only took it as a sign to egg on his question. "Leo, I—saw what happened in one of the Iris Messages. But…do you see yourselves as brothers, or…you know. More?"

Red simmered in Leo's cheeks and his hair caught fire. He batted it away with a curse under his breath and sat straighter in his chair. Twitching and spazzing, Jason wouldn't have compared this boy to the one he knew on his last day of camp.

"He," Leo started with a subtle sputter, "just got out of his relationship with Annabeth. A long one. I don't know if…it's…my place to suggest it." He looked to his fingers thoughtfully and continued—deflated. "I don't know how I'd feel to be sloppy seconds, Jay."

Ah. Swallowing hard, Jay couldn't help but think those words were directed at him. They both agreed it would only be one night—but if that were the case, then it shouldn't have taken three months for them to start talking again. "About…what happened back in August, man…"

"Hey." Leo looked to the ceiling suns and batted his hand around easily. "One night, right?"

One night and four months where they lost contact with each other. "Leo, I…don't want to go this long again without seeing you. You're one of my best friends."

Behind that nonchalant mask, Leo shrugged—but he continued tapping his fingers against the table. "Jay, we didn't even do much. We made out and had a few days of bliss and couple-y stuff where you used your magical Jupiteran powers to alter my sexuality."

"Leo, _please_ stop joking." Jason seethed softly, with his hands on both knees. He reached out to touch the other teen's knee and watched Leo's expression morph once more—unreadable. "Four months is a long time without seeing each other. That entire night shouldn't have happened."

A flame burned in Leo's eyes—subtle, but glowing against the nervousness in his gaze. Jason could only wince. "_Okay_, Jay. I get it. You need redemption."

"That's putting it a little overdramatically—but. Yeah." Jason's eyebrows furrowed together and he curled his hand firmly over Leo's knee. It was met with Leo's own hand.

"If I was mad at you," Leo murmured quietly—and he took effort to examine Jason this time, "then I wouldn't have come all the way across the country to make sure you're alright. We're _okay,_ Superman. Okay?"

Silence.

Jason bit the inside of his mouth and took in the sight of Leo's smoldering chocolate brown eyes. They were warm and sweet—faintly reminding him of the hot cocoa Jason could summon in the chalices back at the Dining Pavilionl or Forum.

"Tell you what," the Son of Hephaestus continued, and an impish grin adorned his lips. "You get out today, right? Come to New York sometime next weekend and we'll catch up. Something about hospitals and Will Solace running around telling me not to mess with medical equipment makes me lose my mind."

"Next Saturday?"

"It'll be the start of our winter break. Kind of the anniversary of when we technically met." Leo crossed his arms and continued to smile at his best friend. "I'll get Aqualad to stop being a pain in the butt by the time you come. He and I will be prepping to go to Camp Halfblood for the rest of break."

Aqualad, huh? It certainly had a more affectionate ring to it. More than Superman.

"Sounds good." Jason squeezed Leo's knee carefully and smiled coyly to the other teen. "Just…make sure you're happy. You deserve it."

Leo looked to him, eyes catching with subtle amusement. He crossed his arms over his chest, shoulders turned inward, and a wistful smile spread across his lips. "The other night I got home from work and she was waiting up for me. Sally spent her time bustling around the kitchen to make me hot cocoa and some lasagna even though she could've been asleep. Then in the morning, Paul said something about teaching me how to drive when the snow cleared up."

"You have control over every manmade machine."

"Yeah—I told him that. But it's the _thought_ of it that counts." Leo shook his head in disbelief—literally steaming in his seat like Jason's own personal heater. "I've been running away fo so long that I forgot what it was like to have a family, man. I think I like it."

A pang of envy hit Jason's chest, but it was quickly overcome by pride and satisfaction for his best friend. Leo really was enjoying himself.

"Okay," the blond responded after a heartbeat. "I believe you. That's all that matters."

"Yeah." A grin laced against Leo's lips—satisfied and absolutely incredible—before Leo propped his legs over the table and rested his arms behind his head. "So. You finally gonna tell me what the Hades you're doing not in San Francisco on a regular basis, and why you and di Angelo were looking so chummy earlier?"

Um.

"Let's not forget that you snapped at anyone who said anything about him on the ship. Mostly at me. And at Percy. A lot at Percy. And at me." Leo stroked his chin and eyed the other teen carefully. "To the point where even Hazel was concerned and we just stopped mentioning him. Is he the reason why you're not at camp?"

"I can't tell you."

"What—why you're not at camp?"

"No, I just can't tell you."

"Because…?" Leo's demeanor flexed—then morphed into worry and surprise. It wasn't often that Jason wouldn't tell him a secret—not unless it wasn't directly addressed. If anything, Jason was more surprised that Leo wasn't angry about being lied to. "Did he make you swear on the river of-you-know-what?"

Actually, Jason forgot about that. Regardless, he shook his head and tapped his fingers against the table—clicking his fingers in a familiar summation. He missed Leo's eyes bulging. "Because he trusts me the same way I've never told Piper about Calypso."

Leo fell silent. For like—two seconds. Jason knew the Son of Hephaestus would never forget about Ogygia—and not only that, but Leo'd harbored some anger over Percy for what the other Greek demigod had done to Calypso. He clearly got over it, if Percy and he were on speaking terms. And again—Leo only fell silent for two seconds before giving Jason a weird look. "You're telling me Jack Skellington's in love?"

"I'm saying you should probably shut up."

"Yeah, but Jay—we're talking about _di Angelo_ here. You've got dirt on him and—okay. Shutting up." Regardless of super close best friend status or not, Leo knew Jason wasn't going to tolerate hearing Nico getting ragged on at that moment. He grew silent, with his hands crossed over his chest. "Well he did save your life, so he can't be that bad."

"He's not bad at _all_, Leo."

"You must really care about him."

Jason stumbled before his growing irritation could bite Leo's head off. While he wasn't proud of hurting his friends, what Leo said about Jason's behavior during the war was true. Jason jumped on anyone who badmouthed the Son of Hades before Nico and he ever formed their bond. What the blonde saw now was a contemplative look over Leo's face on a downturned mouth—and wavering eyes that went from wanting information to not.

Jason thought back to their conversations on warm summer nights, when he was still distraught about Piper and why it didn't _last_ like she wished.

It fell along the lines of what Apollo said. Piper breaking up with him wasn't in his control—but he knew he wasn't upset because she left him. He was upset because he couldn't make himself love her.

"Say no more, Superman. I can tell you don't want to." Leo's feet planted to the ground and he reached out to shake Jason's hand. "Just…come. Next week, alright? I don't get to see enough of you."

"I can agree to that," Jason murmured. He took Leo's hand and they ended with a fist bump.

Just a glimmer in Leo's eyes and Jason knew the shorter teen didn't want to mention Nico again. Which was fine—because Jason couldn't be bothered to ask more about Percy.

Instead, they caught up on current things. There was a sense of formality between them that bothered Jason—too civil to be considered friends, but still informal enough that they were laughing at each others' jokes. They were avoiding certain subjects, which only made it worse.

What good was having a best friend if you were more worried about pissing him off than making conversation?

Eventually, Percy came back with Piper in tow.

"Beauty Queen!" Leo exclaimed.

"Leo! Oh my gods, you're almost _tall _now!" Piper threw her arms over her friend and pulled him into a bear hug. Ironically, Leo was trying to do the same thing.

"We'll stay in the Fifth Cohort barracks for the night and then leave in the morning. Blackjack's having too much fun in the stables with Arion," Percy said quietly as the pair exchanged words. He was definitely a lot calmer than before.

And looked more contemplative, with the SPQR tattoo glowing against his skin. Jason's guess was Reyna and he had a quiet discussion.

"People in the Fifth Cohort treating you like a praetor?" Jason asked cryptically.

The quick glimpse at Percy's eyes and Jason realized maybe Percy hadn't settled back at Camp Halfblood as comfortably as he earlier assumed. Percy used to shyly ramble on the Argo II about building homes, going to college, and starting a family in New Rome with Annabeth before she feared him because of his powers. Once the war was over, all of those ideas were likely thrown out the window.

Not all of them, apparenty.

That being said, sea green eyes hardened and looked sideways to Jason. "I'd like to work my way up to that title."

"But…?"

"Can't jump in headfirst. Can't even get my feet wet yet." Percy shrugged and offered a halfhearted smile. Definitely less jerkish than an hour before. "From my experience, it usually leads to drowning."

"I can't…exactly follow all of those metaphors, Perce."

"What's a metaphor?"

"Uh…never mind."

Shaking his head with dismay, Percy unrolled his sleeves and stuffed both hands in his pockets. He caught the other teen's eyes and they remained firm.

Four months ago they stood in Zeus's Cabin, alone—staring each other down and sizing each other up to get a feel of the other Big Three demigod. They worked mercilessly as comrades—which only made spar sessions between them all the better. Jason couldn't believe the tension he was feeling over Percy's immature jealousy. It only made him feel worse thinking about Nico.

However here they were—treading thin lines, but _treading_ nonetheless.

"You plan on staying the extra day for us at least?" Percy pondered curiously. "Or you gonna go back to LA and do weird Cali things?"

"Coming from someone who won't eat something unless it's blue," Jason responded wryly. Shaking his head, he refused. Nico wouldn't be comfortable staying an extra night just to appease Percy. "No. I need to get back to the swing of things down in LA. I'll just have to…"

"Dive in?" The Son of Poseidon guessed.

"Again. Good metaphor."

"Sure." Percy kicked his feet against the tiled floors and bit the inside of his mouth. "So you're really not coming back to the camps any time soon?"

"Not unless I need it." Jason shook his head. He saw a glimpse of disbelief in Percy's eyes, but didn't think to question it. For the most part, the resident smartass of their crew was...in his head. Surprisingly. "It doesn't mean I turned my back on everything."

Still the skeptic, Percy eyed the younger teen—and said nothing. Instead, he let his shoulders sag in defeat and tilted his head. "You need help moving anything?"

"No. Nico's going to help me out with that."

Something else caught in those sea green eyes—not that Jason could put his finger on it. Percy's expression made the blonde think back to a few weeks before his accident happened, when he was caught off guard at finding his old best friend and Percy spooning in bed together. If Percy had something to say (and he almost always did) he definitely chose to leave it out this time.

Good. Jason didn't have the energy to deal with the crap his friends would say about Nico.

Instead, Piper and Leo finished their adieus. They gathered in the room together, promising to meet up in Camp Halfblood for Christmas—and then Percy, Leo, and Piper spun a story about their academics.

Weird. That was definitely the word to describe it. It was hard to think of these people as the comrades Jason fought aside in a war—and then imagine them in a classroom in cramped desks studying the mortal version of American History.

Everyone was coping with the aftermath of the war. So of course it made sense.

Piper was now homeschooled to be closer to her father. Hazel rose in the ranks as a centurion to the Fifth Cohort, with rumors amongst them all that she would one day be praetor, and Frank worked with Reyna to restore what was lost of the Twelfth Legion—along with integrating Greek demigods who were interested in serving ten years.

Annabeth didn't want to admit it, but she was relieved now that she didn't have to think about the extent of Percy's powers on a daily basis. They were actually on good terms with each other, apparently—there were just too many secrets that should have stayed in the dark. Instead she worked as an advisor for Reyna alongside attending school in New Rome to become an architect, and they spun an eloquent (and pretty weird) dance around each other.

That left him, living in LA and trying to figure out his life. With Nico.

Well—that was definitely one way to cope. Jason didn't regret it once.

"You sure you don't want to stay, Jason?" Piper's voice brought him out of his thoughts a little while later, after Jason received the seal of approval from Will to leave.

Pulling out of his ministrations, Jason glanced over to his ex-girlfriend. She was finally able to look at him with a whole-hearted smile. "No, uh. Nico should be back soon. I really just want to…" Get out of New Rome. For now, at least. Staying too long reminded Jason what he left behind.

"Okay," Piper said. Then, she obliviously took Leo by the hand and walked over to give Jason a big hug.

He hugged her back.

"Next time I see you," she mused quietly beneath her breath, "don't let it be in a hospital room. Okay?"

Oh, gods. "Trust me, I'm going to try and avoid this place."

"Right," Piper said cryptically. The tone of her voice caught Jason's ears. He thought better not to ask. "I'll see you eventually. Right?"

Warmth ignited in Jason's chest as he looked at her. Smiling at the stunning daughter of Aphrodite and Tristan McLean, Jason nodded. "Soon."

They said their goodbyes outside the hospital, where Jason waited with his gladius strapped tightly to his pants. Grateful to be out of hospital smocks for the first time in nearly _two weeks_, he decided that yes—Jason was _never_ coming back to the hospital if he could help it.

Nico and he were only one shadowtravel away from going home.

Except—as hours passed—Nico never showed up.

-x-

**Author's Note: **

So everything that Leo was explaining to Jason in the story is actually a set up for a side story/sequel to this one focusing on Percy and Leo after the war while Jason and Nico are dealing with their own things. I hope you all had happy holidays (Christmas or otherwise) and enjoyed this chapter! (:


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